Saturday, May 23, 2009

Denali - Grizzly Bear


I have seen grizzly bears off and on since late April. Never have I seen a bear this close and right on top of the road.

He was digging and eating roots when I first saw him on the road right of way, like above.

Next, he decided a take a walk.

After a short stroll down the road he decided he needed to rub his back and you see him in the top image rolling on his back with his feet in the air.

Obviouly he was quite comfortable with the close proximity of humans which is a true testament to how well the road system works here in Denali.

I rode a bus on my off day to Toklat (mp 53) yesterday and saw 7 bears on the trip.

Blue Skies.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my. You don't see that everyday.
As the responsible person you are, I expect, that you went over to pet him, huh?

Cheers, Klaus

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

That first picture makes it seem as if they are so cute and cuddley. Wonderful pictures Ken. It must have been a great experience and I am sure you were thrilled to see him so close.

Juan C. Aguero said...

Wao, your first bear?
Good photos.

Tim Rucci said...

Wow, great photos and a beautiful bear. You are one lucky dude to get to spend and entire summer in Denali.

I'm wondering if the relatively light colored coat a seasonal thing. Also, I don't see one on this fellow but when I was there 8 years ago I noticed a tracking device on the neck of a grizzly. (At least that's what the driver told us it was). I would expect that it's helpful in studying the bears to know where they are and where they are going. Really great photos, Ken...

Jose's World said...

When I first saw it I though it was in top of frozen ice. Great take. Were you on foot?

Elaine said...

I followed the link from Country Captures blog, and I am glad that I did. Your photos are absolutely stunning! What a wonderful summer you are going to have! I live in Fairbanks so your photos are of particular interest to me. We do see some of that same wildlife in our backyard and I've been able to get a few good photos. While it's been a while since I've made the trip back into the park, I hope we'll be able to do it again before too long. I enjoyed looking at your photos and reading your narrative. I'll be back to check on your adventures.

koand said...

Gratulacje , świetne zdjęcia , w Polsce też żyją Niedźwiedzie ale tylko w górach w Tatrach ,jest ich zaledwie kilkanaście i są pod ścisłą ochroną . Pozdrawiam , Andrzej .

Elaine said...

Ken, thanks for visiting my website and your kind comments. I've listed a few spots you might want to visit when you come to Fairbanks with some links on my blog under comments on my last post. Hope they will help.

Dale Forbes said...

I thought the same as Jose until I read the text.

Your brown bears seem to be a lot bulkier than the European ones. I had heard that, but those pictures of yours show a HUGE bear! nice capture.

Dale
http://alpinebirds.blogspot.com

Rocky Mountain Photography said...

ok I am jelouse, great shots, still have there winter fur, not shedding

Twisted Fencepost said...

This is one of my favorite series of posts you've displayed.
Great pictures!!

Harold Davis said...

ken, these are great!!! hope you are having fun and it looks like you are. be safe too!!!

Adrian Olivera said...

Great picture of him on his back! As if nothing in the world matters but his itch.

Debra Trean said...

delightful....is the one word that describes this photo.

Andor Marton said...

What a wonderful series, the 1. and 4. pictures are outstanding. You don't see those hilarious positions everyday.
It's interesting how comfortable they are with human presence and don't attack them ... probably they have food in abundance.

Unknown said...

WOW WOW...Ken. This is an impressive shot. Bear in the open and in that pose. Stunning.

Uncommon Depth said...

Thanks for visiting my blog so that I could find yours. Your images are terrific; and I'm bookmarking your site for later.

Absolutely love the playfulness of the bear shot! Shows a bit of their personality (when not being harassed by man.)