Black Bear

First, a big thank you to those from around the world who visit my blog every day, including: Sri Lanka, Spain, Armenia, Ukraine, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Turkey, Jamaica, Brazil, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Romania, Moxambique, Nicaragua, Finland, Italy, Hungry, Japan, Israel, Belarus, South Korea, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Australia, Pakistan, Germany, Poland, France, Slovakia, Serbia, Qatar, New Zealand, Mexico, India, Greece, Canada, UK, and the US.

 

What is heartwarming to me, is that we all share something in common: a love of nature. 

Now, to continue my series on "5" Star Photos, we come to Black Bears. Over the years I have spent a good deal of time looking for and photographing bears. As you will see, my style is to be an unobtrusive observer where, in a few miraculous moments, a brief relationship transpires creating a photo which places the viewer in the wilderness -- interacting with the animal just as I did. 

The key is being able to get close enough without fear or aggression, with just love and compassion. You must be patient and willing to pass up a photo if an animal is disturbed by you. Bears must be respected and you must feel privileged that they are willing to let you photograph them. Standing 15 to 20 feet from a bear is an exhilarating and memorable experience but it can only be done with patience, love and respect.

My experience is that 50% of the time you see a bear it will run away. 25% of the time it will walk away (in which case I do not follow or track it because it has told me it doesn't want to be around me). This means 25% of the time I should be able to get a good photograph -- as long as I don't "screw-up."

My first Black Bear Photo I'll show you was taken in Ramsey Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, Southern Arizona. This fairly young (150 pound) bear was going from tree top to tree top foraging on the leaves --- as if he were a squirrel. I took many photos, including close-ups, but thought this one told the whole story:  (Click on the photo to enlarge).

Black Bear

Western Screech Owl

While we are on the subject of owls, Ramsey Canyon which is two canyons north of Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, is another favorite birding spot. It is run by The Nature Conservancy and just outside the little visitor's center is a large Sycamore Tree that a Western Screech Owl nests in. Sycamore trees are found alongside creek beds in Southern Arizona so they are an ideal spot for birds. Just as in the photo above they provide a natural nest, requiring very little effort to create. Just a little housecleaning, that's all. So, they are home to many nesting birds. In addition to the Western Screech Owl, Sycamore Trees are a favorite place for the Elegant Trogan (which I have shown you in almost the identical photo -- but in a Sycamore Tree in the Chiricahua Mountains further east). The nests can go down the tree trunk a foot or more so birds nesting are not often seen. It's only when they come up like this owl and "perch" on the opening. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time -- true of most good photographs. On the other hand a mountain lion could have walked right by that tree two minutes before I arrived (that I missed photographing).

Painted Redstart

Yesterday, we headed out with some friends to go to Garden Canyon at Fort Huachuca. We arrived at the Main Gate only to find the gate closed for renovation, or construction of some kind. We decided to keep going another ten minutes to Ramsey Canyon, which our friends hadn't seen either. Ramsey Canyon is a delightful walk along the canyon creek. It's run by The Nature Conservancy. A few hummingbirds had arrived (they'll be in full force in another month or so). And, we saw some white tail deer -- typical of the area. But, the treat for the day was this Painted Redstart.  Like warblers, they don't ever seem to stay still making photographing difficult at best. And since they are typically in trees eating ants or other insects from the trees there are usually leaves/branches in the way. However, from the 30 or so photos taken there were a couple that worked. Here's one of them: The Painted Redstart