Kodiak Brown Bears come out of their winter den with one thing in mind basically, getting back in and sleeping. Between May and Oct though, they do a whole lot of living which in large part is, putting on fat. How do we get fat? We eat and sleep. They are masters of both and as a photographer, getting the shots of their activities of eating grass, catching salmon, and the other goofy things bears do, sleeping is one of my favorite poses. This four hundred pound 4-5 year old is deep asleep after a huge breakfast of grass. It barely tossed and turned, its head slowly sinking down to rem sleep. When I see this, I always wonder, what do bears dream?

There’s a thing, it’s kinda unspoken but naming bears just isn’t done. They are given numbers when they’re being studied, but not names. Those are reserved for just the very special bears. Big Bertha is one of those special bears. Why? Now that’s the interesting question. It starts with, she’s big! I’m talking BIG! For a 7-8 year old female, she’s pushing 800lbs. Next, here it is May and she’s all alone, no cubs. Did she not find a mate last year? Did she lose them already this spring to a male (which is real doubtful)? Her pelt is so dark, that’s kinda of unusual. And to me the biggie is, she’s left alone. The other bears give her a wide berth which translates to lots of respect. She doesn’t do anything fast, she’s not afraid of anything and goes where she pleases. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with her all week, so gentle and purposed. She’s a gorgeous bear and they call her Big Bertha.