Some of Glacier's wildlife.

We were with a large group of photographers that descended upon Glacier the last week of Sept.
Here are a few shots.

Very nice, where did you find the grizz sow and cubes with the cinnamon black sow and cub encroaching? That's very unique and rare, if those grizz cubes were yearlings, which they are not, that black bear sow and cub never would have gotten by with that!

Were you with chuck haney, he had a group of photographer out in the park that same time, I met with him on thursday morning, I think it was? If so, you guys stayed about three blocks from my house. . .

Here's one from glacier too, it's a canada lynx and was taken October 4th. The IQ is not so great, as it was shot at iso 800, d200, 200-400 f/4 shot at 1/200@f4 hand held. . .

I reduced the noise in Lightroom, but the d200 has great noise reduction AND produces relatively good files if you nail the exposure. . .

Dave,

Excellent images. I am so jealous. I know just how lucky you have to be to get shots of groups of bears at Glacier. It's definitely not like the Katmai in Alaska where there are big groups. And to get Browns and Blacks together too. I guess you hit the right time and place. Wont' be too much longer and they will be going to sleep for the winter.

Wonder if you could provide some equipment and shooting data.

Thanks for posting.

George

Tony,

Great catch of a pretty elusive American feline. I would love to have the opportunity to be this close to one in the wild.

I think the D200 did fine here for ISO 800 and of course you can't beat the quality of the 200-400. From the exposure info it's obvious the lighting was really tough. I think the noise is well in hand but 1/200 wasn't enough to kill the motion blur. It looks to me from the blur on the front paw that this cat was moving fairly quickly. I really like the shot and granted in a perfect world you could have used ISO200 and 1/800, but as you know better than most, you go with what you can get.

Nice job as usual.

George

excellent photos Dave, wish some of mine would turn out half as good as those did. What equipment were you using?


Don

I wish I could get a Lynx photo. I never see them around here, but everytime I am on the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territories, I see them along the roadside usually watching a road crew.

Here in Alaska, the cheapest bear photo oportunity is in Homer in the spring when the bears attack the joggers. The second cheapest place to photograph bears is the Russian River during the red salmon run.

Nope. Wasn't with Mr. Haney.
I was there with a group from Smugmug, about 40 of us.

The shots were taken with a Canon 30D with a Canon 400L f5.6 lens.
The bear shots were ISO 800, wide open, the coyote shots were ISO 400 wide open.

There was another black bear cub, but it was to far to the left for me to get it into the shot.

Nice Lynx Tony.

Hey Dave,

Those are some great shots. Thanks for sharing. Really, all of them are very good - though I will admit that I am partial to the bear photographs.

James

Nice shots!

I wonder if that's the same sow and cubs I shot there a couple of months ago. Got them near the Many Glaciers Lodge. The sow and one of the two cubs were collared.

Its a good question, but I think they different bears, than the one's posted by dave. All are many glacier bears, but I think they are a different set of bears . . . there are at least 12 different grizzly bears, that I know of in that area. . . . other's i'm sure wonder through but that sow and cubs you posted are habituated to the area. . . .

Maybe dave can confirm for us. The bear that dave shot has an obvious saddle that is not on the bear that you posted. . . . I cant tell if on daves bear that sow has a collar, it may or may not, lets hear from dave. . . . .

Well on thing is for certain, his shots are much better, LOL!!

Dave, did that sow you shot have a collar?

It looks like a different bear to me.

The one you shot has two two year old cubs and are fat and ready to get kicked out of the "nest." They will for sure get the boot this next spring!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes the sow had a collar, I don't think the cubs (if you can call them that) did.

The shots with the bears was on Many Glaciers Road.
The story that we heard was that a Mountain Goat fell, and the grizzlies were eating good for a couple of days.

The black bear and her cubs happened upon the scene, but when they saw the grizzlies, made a hasty retreat.

If you look closely at the second shot, you can see the collar on the far left grizzly.

Thanks for looking guys.

thanks dave.