Columbia Icefields Coyote

One of my favorite places to explore and photograph wildlife is the Columbia Icefields which is a 187 mile stretch between Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive without stopping. Not sure what you would be doing in this remote part of the world if you wouldn't want to stop and see Caribou, Moose, Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Grey Wolves, Coyotes, and many glaciers. 

I have wonderful memories of my many visits to this area. Today I thought I would share a 30 minute experience I had once with a Coyote. You may ask what is so special about that. You see coyotes walk through your backyard all the time. It's true, even though coyotes were nearly extinct in the 1920's, they have rebounded to the point of near excess. 

Even today,  500,000 coyotes are killed every year in the US. That's nearly 1400 coyotes killed every day. 90,000 are killed by our State or Federal Government. Many are killed by local ranchers. Many are killed by huntsmen. Many are killed by vehicles.

Yet their population continues to increase. They have adapted to all parts of the United States, Canada, and Mexico; from east to west, from sea level to 10,000 feet; from tropics to desert; from seasides to forests; urban, rural, and wilderness.

I'm sometimes asked, "Are coyotes dangerous?" The simple answer is "no." The last death in the US from a coyote was in 1980, when a two year old child was left by herself in the backyard of a home in a wilderness area of California. On the other hand, between 30-50 people are killed by domestic dogs each year in the US.

Cartoons always depicted coyotes as "mangy." I've never stopped to count how many coyotes I've seen, but I could count on one hand how many I'd call mangy. Coyotes have beautiful full coats; one of Mother Nature's most beautiful.

On to my story. I was driving along the Columbia Icefields Parkway, when I saw a Coyote laying down out in the middle of the Icefield. I pulled off the road and spent the next 30 minutes photographing him. At first he was content to just stay put. Then he got up and started walking parallel to the road, so I just followed him from the road. Eventually, he wanted to cross the road, so I just stopped as he walked right in front of me. It was a thrilling experience that I feel fortunate to have photographed:

Maligne Lake Moose

Continuing with my alphabetical series of my "5" Star Photos in general and Moose in particular we come to a favorite photo and story.

On a winter trip to Jasper National Park I drove up to Maligne Lake passing an open field about the size of a football field. There were trees lining the road so it was not easily to see this odd brown "spot" in the middle of an otherwise white field of snow. I pulled off to the side of the road so I could get a better view. Yes! It was a female Moose at "mid-field." So, I walked down into the field and out to the middle until I was about 30 feet away from the Moose.

I was a bit surprised that she didn't get up and walk away. But, I was walking very slowly, very carefully, and very quietly. I then sat down in the snow and started taking photos. After a few photos I just sat admiring her. (It helped that I had on long-johns and was adequately protected from the cold). It was so peaceful and serene. She never moved; occasionally put her nose in the snow; but, we both seemed content and happy surrounded by mother nature's beauty. Moose may be gangly looking, but their coats are truly a beautiful dark chocolate brown as gorgeous as mink.

This may not have been the most exciting wildlife experience I have had, but it certainly was one of the most peaceful and in a way spiritual.

Moose

The Last of the Black Bears

The last of my "5" Star Black Bear photos once again comes from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. I had been photographing this female Black Bear with her cubs as they foraged along one of the back roads. After a few minutes the mother crossed the road with two of her cubs right behind. A third, however, lagged far behind oblivious to the fact that he was in the middle of the road. Once the little guy reached the other side the mother "scolded" him severely, which the cub took as if it happened frequently.

Black Bear with Cubs

Black Bear Cub

Continuing with "5" Star Black Bear photos and my encounter with a mother and two cubs in Jasper National Park, Canada, is this close-up of one of the cubs:

Black Bear Cub

Black Bear Cubs: The Story Continues

The "tale" of the Black Bear and her two cubs continues in Jasper National Park, Canada. 

While mom was busy eating, the two cubs played. Here one is doing a balancing act on a down tree while the second "peeks" around the trunk of an upright tree. Lot of fun to watch:

Black Bear Cubs

Black Bear Cub

Continuing with photos from my wonderful experience with a Black Bear and her two cubs in Jasper National Park, Canada, Today, a photo of this little cub waving at me. It took a good 30 minutes to get close enough to this cub without him or his mom feeling threatened. The result is one of my favorite photos:

Black Bear Cub

Note: All of my wildlife photos are from the wild; no zoos, no wildlife “farms” or ranches – no remote motion-sensor cameras, no tracking dogs, no electronic tracking devices, no “traps”, just simply photographed as predator and/or prey as found naturally  in the wild.   Photos are untouched and appear as seen through the lens. 

Black Bear with Cubs

While I think Black Bears are magnificent animals, their cubs are adorable. Several years ago while in Jasper National Park I came across a Black Bear with her two cubs. She let me spend about 45 minutes with them. It was one of my fondest and most cherished wildlife experiences. I have four photos from that series that I call "5" Star. I could have spent more time with them, but I ran out of film and had to go back to town to get more. (One of the many advantages digital has over film).  Here's the first of those "5" Star photos:

Black Bear with cubs

Black Bear V

Continuing now with my "5" Star Black Bears is one of my favorites. It was late May and the trees were starting to bud with new leaves. I took our older daughter (Erin) with me for a five or six day photo trip to Wells Grey in British Columbia and Jasper National Park in Alberta. While in Jasper National Park we came across this Black Bear already in the tree. He would pull a branch with his right arm to his mouth and strip it of all the leaves. Then he would do the same with his left arm. When he could no longer reach a new branch he would climb the tree another couple of feet. When he would climb the tree the trunk would sway back and forth. However, when he got to where he wanted to be he "settled in" and the trunk didn't move an inch.  After about two hours of watching and photographing, it started getting dark so he climbed down the tree, took another look at us, and then off he went into the forest.  That's Mount Robson in the background.  This photo (both as a greeting card and as a framed photo) is my biggest seller. It also appears on the cover of the book, "A Bear Tale" by Christi Killien.

Black Bear

Bighorn Closeup

Back to Bighorn Sheep. Bighorn sheep are not easily found. I have spent many a day -- especially, here Arizona looking for them. Been to all the right places, too. The only ones I have found (in Arizona) were in the White Mountains while I was looking for Mexican Grey Wolves. My next trip will be along the Colorado nearer to Lake Meade. And, yet there are places in Canada where the bighorns amble into small towns occasionally, just like elk. Spences Bridge is one town I remember in central British Columbia where I found a small herd of ewes foraging on people's grassy lawns. But, they are also easier to find in Alberta, especially Jasper and Banff National Parks.  I came across a small herd of bighorn sheep about half way up to Medicine Lake in Alberta (Jasper National Park). I found myself among them for a few minutes. There was plenty of greens for them to eat so they weren't particularly bothered by my being there. This old ram in particular became interested - for a minute or so anyway. You can see by the rings on his horns he had been around a number of years. The horns probably weighed 40 pounds. You can also see how the ends are "scraped". This is one of those strange acts of nature where the bighorn must "grind" down the ends of his horns otherwise he wouldn't be able to see. Maybe it is not so strange, though, given that many of us "humans" have to have glasses to see.

Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Cold

Winter is a great season for us in Southern Arizona. People ready, willing, and able to escape from the cold to a warmer climate -- even, for a few days. (Airplanes not always able to cooperate, though). Our daughter Erin, in Flagstaff, has been "snowed in" for a month with over five feet of snow. Flagstaff is in Arizona mind you. I suppose I could show you photos of grandkids Noah and Ruby all bundled up and playing in the snow, but even though they are "wild" at times, probably isn't what followers of our "wildlife" blog are looking for. So, I'll talk about "other" wild animals that just seem to fit or, at least, look more comfortable and natural in the snow. This older bighorn sheep ram was photographed high above the Columbia Icefields in Alberta (Sunwapta Mountain). He was curious about me, but didn't seem particularly bothered. Maybe he thought I looked too "cold" to be of any danger. Often hoofed animals "herd" up for the winter months. This includes males -- sometimes. Not this time, though. This big ram was all by himself. Didn't see another bighorn anywhere near him. It always reminds me of the big male bison I photographed at the National Bison Range in Montana (Blog Post: From Eeyore to Ferdinand, January 22, 2010). He had that same sense of "regal-ness." "I'm too wise to be bothered."

Caribou on the run

No the Christmas photo of the reindeer (caribou) was not taken in Tucson. I was on a winter trip up to Alberta to look for caribou. A combination of warming and development have pushed caribou a hundred miles north of Banff in Alberta. On my way, I stopped in Wells Grey, British Columbia, a favorite place which I talk about someday. I slept in the back of my truck; awoke in the morning, went to brush my teeth, and the toothpaste was frozen. In fact, everything was frozen -- except what I had put in the ice chest. The ice chest, even with ice in it, acted as an insulator from the cold. It was minus eleven degrees. Anyway, I finally reached my destination in Jasper National Park and was driving up to Medicine and Maligne Lakes where I had seen caribou before. When I got to the frozen, snow covered Medicine Lake I saw seven caribou out in the middle; maybe 300 yards away. So, I stopped the truck, got out, grabbed  my camera and tripod, and slid down the embankment (not intentionally) and on to the lake. I was still much to far away for a photograph. So, I walked out on the lake a hundred and fifty yards or so, thinking that was a safe distance. I set up my tripod and started taking photos. Soon the caribou started running parallel to me (the photo from Christmas). But, then, all of a sudden, the bull turns (as do the others) and starts running straight towards me. That's the photo above. I realized that I am not going to out run the caribou, especially in the snow. But, once they got 50 yards from me they stopped. I took a few more photos, said thank you to them, turned, and trudged back through the snow and up the embankment. By the time I reached the truck I was dripping with sweat. You see the temperature had risen to minus 7 degrees.

black bear sleeping

No this is NOT a "Zoo" photo. Bears occasionally - but actually - lie down and rest or sleep in the wild too. It's not just in the zoos.   This three or so year old was lying down when I came across him. He let me take several photos including this one where I too was lying down to get a better angle. What makes wildlife photography challenging is that you can't always get the angle you want, or remove obstructions. Can't powder the nose or forehead so to speak. Can't move a branch or some grass back away from the face. Can't ask the bear to move back just a bit. You take what you can get. It was, nonetheless, a sweet experience.

Bye, Bye, Black Bear

PART V: Momentarily full, mom decided it was time to leave the dinner table, the little cubs trotting behind. It was the last photo I took. I resumed my trip back to Jasper with one shot left in my camera. A photographer for National Geographic once told me that the average NGM article had 30 photos. But, that the photographer might take 300 rolls of film to get those 30. I had less than one roll so felt pretty good. The encounter lasted about an hour. The excitement, a little longer. This is the biggest difference in photographing large mammals versus ... birds for example. With birds it is usually a fleeting moment. With large mammals, once in a while you really get to spend some "quality time" and establish a "relationship" with your subject. And so, even though it happened over ten years ago, I remember it as if it were yesterday.

Black Bear Cubs Kissing

Part IV: One thing I've learned about photographing black bears is to pay attention to the time of year. In the spring bears are just coming out of hibernation, they have lost a lot of body weight, and they don't want to spend a lot of energy chasing food. Especially when the ground is full of fresh young, easily digestible vegetation. This is not true of the fall, when bears are looking for fat and protein. So, I can get a little closer in the Spring then I can in the fall. These two bear cubs were playing "hide-n-seek," chasing each other up and around trees. When it was over they seem to "kiss" as if to say "thank you, that was fun." Mom continued to eat this luscious vegetarian meal that surrounded her.

Black Bear with Cubs

PART I: I was on my way back to the little town of Jasper, Alberta to get some more film since I was down to my last role. As chance would have it, I look up the mountain and see a black bear. So, I stop  and get out of the car to take a closer look. I soon realize that the bear is coming down the mountain toward me at a very leisurely pace. He was eating along the way. But, also I notice that there were two tiny bear cubs not far behind. Since I was on my last roll of film I had to use it wisely. Patiently waiting 30 minutes to take a photo wasn't easy. All along I was remembering a Native American quote, "   The ox may be slow, but the Earth is patient." Was I going to get a photo at all? Or was the bear going to go back up the mountain. Eventually they worked there way to the bottom. So, the bear did not disappoint me.  It was late May, and all she was interested in was eating the fresh vegetation. And, the cubs were having too much fun a care about me a lick, either.  I'll save that story for tomorrow.