Aug 3, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG27746.swf, 396, 600 [/swf]
I know it’s silly, it doesn’t work this way, but on the last day of any adventure, I ask for it to be the best day, to finish with a big horrah. It rarely happens. In this case, I was hoping at most for a run of salmon to have come up from the lake, be jumping and bears on top of the falls catching them and at least, some bears to be present.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG27472.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
Ted was present which brought a smile to me. He was always good for a clean click. He was real active this day, moving from his hole and working the entire river using every technique you might imagine for fishing.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG27541.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
He provided me many an opportunity to make some of my favorite clicks of the trip. This is an example of one of them. It’s a real simple photo that works with his body gesture, the light that is bouncing off his coat and the depth of color around him in the swirling water. Clean, simple and speaks so well what it is to be a griz fishing. What I thought would be a slow day and anticlimactic ending to a great week was about to break wide open! mtc
Photos captured by D3, 70-300VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 31, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp3910.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
Rumored wildlife sightings go along with the “you should have been here yesterday” in my book. We were told of a Gray Wolf working the river stealing salmon from fly fisherman. While I don’t get all spooled up about such rumors, I do keep them in mind. When in griz country, I tend to do a 360 degree visual inspection around me every couple of minutes. It was on one of those inspections I saw the wolf.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp3983.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
You should have seen the heads fly up from the viewfinders when I called out wolf! It was on the far bank and skulking about in the trees and shrubs at first. I hesitated before calling out wold because without a real clear view, the thought crossed my mind it was a Coyote but once I saw the muzzle, I made the call and it was made famous. After not too long, he came down to the river and went to work finding scraps and plying his trade.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG26646.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
Yeah, he went to work trying to steal salmon from a griz! Ballzy if you ask me. He never scored directly off a bear, but he found plenty of tidbits to make his journey worth while. Though he was around for only a little while, it was darn fun to watch the show.
Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e (top 2), D3, 70-300VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 31, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25686.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
With the masses of salmon gone from the river, the bears are fishing those left below the falls. We can see the salmon in the water but they aren’t jumping. So in the pools where they’ve gathered, the bears gather and defend. them What looks like a sleepy bear is actually a bear displaying his displeasure with a bear getting too close to his fishin hole.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG26072.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
Mom & the kids showed up again, they are always good for a chuckle. Mom is really working the river in front of the two platforms, catching every salmon she possibleycan in every possible style of fishing. Here, she’s trying to get an aerial view of the one pool of salmon. She stood up many times to get the best view which was great since the first time, I was watching through the 600VR. I switched quickly to the 70-300VR on my shoulder and caught her next dance.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25957.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
I mean she would do anything to get a little higher. Have you seen anything sillier, a Grizzly Bear, 800lbs of bear perching on top a stone in the river?! But sure enough, there she is doing it!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG26027.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
The best part of the whole story is she is passing this all on to her kids. And who’s the best student watching everything mom does? Yeap, the oldest cub, the trouble maker.
Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e (top) D3, 70-300VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 30, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25486.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
While the wind finally has calmed down, the clouds have thickened up and sprinkles came and went today.
At first, I didn’t think much of Ted. Though a big male, he was on the other side of the falls, the furthest he could be from us and didn’t do much. I mean, this is how we saw him most of the day. Just staring off into the pool.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25481.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
And if he wasn’t staring off into the pool, he was like this, his head under the water. The longest time he had his head under that I saw and counted was 21sec. Was he a successful fisherbear using this style? Yeah, he caught salmon but they weren’t really big ones and he didn’t catch them that often. For such a big bear, I wondered about him. He has one big ass scare on his rear flank. I wondered if that hampered his mobility at all which is why he had the particular fishing approach. Hope he’s around tomorrow though, he’s a great looking bear and if he comes closer, he will be fun to photograph!
Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 30, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25270.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
One of the two oldest bears showed up at the falls today only to find no jumping salmon. Well into his seoncd decade of life, he moves a little slowly, goes where he wants to and is given the respect and space his age has earned.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25241.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
Check out that lower lip!
This is one of those times when it’s cool to see a bear without its winter fur. You can see first hand the scars this male has earned during its life. I thought about counting all the scars but too late, but personally, I’d never seen a bear with so many. Testament to both a long life, but a hard one as well. The other old bear hasn’t been seen this year at the falls but they know he’s around because they have found his DNA dropped around. I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself.
Oh, and that thing I found by accident that I like, I do like it now that I’ve done it on purpose. I’ve shot now for the last two days with the lens wide open, f/4 or f/6.7 and between that and the 600VR or 600VR w/TC-17e, it really make the bears visually pop from their world here at the falls. Along with the amazing quality the D3x captures, the files are stunning. For me, this is a major shift in my big mammal shooting. While I think it’s something I’ll just like at the falls with the bears, it’s something to work with in time elsewhere.
Photos captured by D3x, 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jul 30, 2009 | Wildlife Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DMLBECG25162.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
We arrived at the platform early today (won’t do that again) to find it stuffed with day trippers and a one hour limit on the platform. We also found the family snoozing next to the platform, well sort of. To get the shot, I had to go high! Coming late, I was like three rows back from seeing the action let alone photographing it. Having the Gitzo 5560 with me, I simply went up literally which permitted me to shoot over everyone heads. I’m telling ya, these guys are dynamite!
It’s raining on and off, glad I have LenCoats on the six & body, makes working a whole lot easier. Those here with plastic bags covering their gear can’t get them off fast enough when action happens.
Photo captured by D3x, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
