The Nature of Travel
Polar bears of Churchill
My sixteenth season of guiding polar bear trips to Churchill Manitoba. I can say, no two seasons are the same and it never gets boring. The cold has set in and ice is beginning to form. This mother and cub wait anxiously for good ice to form before they head out onto the Hudson Bay. Ice on the bay means the opportunity to hunt seals and a chance to replenish fat reserves utilized for survival over the ice free summer season. with my seasons now of spending time int he company of such great creatures, I still have no real understanding of how such an animal can cope with the physiological demands of up to five months with out reliable ice for feeding. This time away from food can be up to eight months for females during the season of their pregnancy.
Polar Bear Season
The 2013 Polar season is here!
Just getting started with my 16th polar bear season in Churchill season. This is a summer photo of a bear just east of town I took back in 2007. The season always starts off with out snow but most of the early season images show the bears on a golden back ground. I wanted to show a greener summer shot to start off the season. I hope to update the blog with pictures and stories as the season goes along.
Weather and wolves!
It isn't that often we have good soaking rains in the Yellowstone ecosystem but today was one of them. The light was low and rain pouring down. I always attempt to get my photo travelers out in rough weather and this morning the Junction Butte pack wolves were a perfect subject. The wolves headed towards the road in an attempt to catch a fleeing coyote. Just after the chase, the wolves regrouped on a small hill just below Specimen Ridge. With todays digital cameras it is much easier to get good quality images in difficult lighting. Today higher ISO images produce much better quality nature photos. In this situation the wet conditions allowed for better color saturation. Yes, I got pretty wet too.