Cinnamon phase black bear and Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105mm, (105mm) 1/160 sec @ f/8, ISO 200, polarizing filter.
This is shot is mostly luck mixed with a little bit of perseverance. First of all the mountain often clouds over as the day progresses and if it does not, it tends to be very hazy by this time of day. It was noon when I shot the frame, and thanks to the amazing clarity of the day, and the polarizing filter which reduced the sheen on the vegetation, the image works. Earlier light would have been preferred, but I’ll take this as a starter.
Shots of wildlife–especially bears–in front of Denali are not easy to come by. I was returning to camp for a bit to eat when I thought I should explore the tundra a bit (more scouting for a location to shoot under better light) when I came across this bear incessantly feeding on blueberries. This time of year, the bears are in a state of hysterical eating called hyperphasia. The bear seldom looked up, and I happened to get only a few frames when it walked to a new location to find blueberries. Managing the tripod, tundra, bushes, polarizer, etc., made a bit of a frantic scene on my part, not wanting to miss this opportunity. The bear was visible for 16 minutes before moving off into the alder bushes (which were ubiquitous in the area).
P,
Now every time I see a grizzly I’m haunted by that documentary we watched. So thanks for the memories! 🙂 Regardless cool photo but of course I enjoy the landscape portion more than the animal.
C
This is a cinnamon colored black bear, not a grizzly bear. No shoulder hump, larger oval ears, a brown muzzle, and a flat face profile all say black bear.
Kim,
After your comment, I went back and reviewed the files much more closely and I concur with all your comments regarding the black bear distinctive anatomical features. It does look like a black bear and I’ve asked some colleagues who also agree. It’s the first cinnamon phase I’ve seen in Denali Park, and I overlooked it at first because of the location and color, presuming it was a brown bear. Thanks for bringing that to my attention and I’ll have to change the caption information.
Patrick
Your welcome, it was also the first cinnamon phased black bear I had seen in the park.