Very close encounters of the bear kind
Although this certainly isn't a good picture (not sharp, and those leaves), to me it has been the most exciting series of pictures taken during my vacation! Maybe exciting is not the right word for the moment, because this has been my most uncorfortable moment during my stay in Canada. It could have been my last picture ever taken! So what's the story?!
While in Wells gray provincial park (BC) on my last day before going back to Vancouver, I was a little disappointed not having a decent picture of a black bear. I had seen one somewhere in Banff, but only a glimpse of a second, and I didn't expect any one any more. So I took off on the The Ray Farm and Mineral Trail hike (www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/wells_gry/corrt...) which was altogether a pleasant walk, and in the forest I saw a dropping that looked definitively like bear poo ( a lot of berries and rather big), and it looked fresh! But what is fresh (5 minutes or 30 minutes, I couldn't make out, but certainly not older. That was obvious to me. I walked on towards the Mineral spring in that area (I thought I heard a sound in the bush, I recalled later, but didn't pay attention) and came at the end of wooden path, which was closed off with a wooden balustrade (some sort of T-shape)where the mineral spring was. It was not very exciting (that one) took some pictures, and turned around, and then about 20 meters away from me I saw the back of a black bear strolling through the bushes, oef!
I didn't hesitate and started doing the thing they had learned me a long time ago, make noise and wave, which normally would make the bear go away, because this is what the books say they normally do……
Well this one didn't! he looked a little disturbed and came into my direction!! It was immediately apparent that I was on his ground, this was his normal walking path (maybe nice to the feet, this wooden path) and from time to time he stopped to look at me. I tried to make a few pictures, but my 400 mm was already not appropriate, he was too close for a 400mm), and i shifted lenses, and took this one in a hurry for two reasons. I had to keep an eye on this bear, and didn't want to point too long my camera on him, because he might consider this an act of aggression.
I had a flash back from a time in Namibia when I was observing a rhino and an elephant (from a safe distance) in the same sort of situation. Two animals being aware both of them could be extremely dangerous, one wanted to get out, the other wanting to get to the well, and there they stood for 45 minutes, sometimes one took a step very cautious forward, then looking and sending out signals to the other he meant no harm, and they finally crossed and went there own way. So my subconscious was instructing me, don't do anything rash, don't run, and look very good at the other one (without staring in the eyes, because that is the worst thing you can do, it is an extreme forn of aggression).
The bear still walked slowly towards me, and every time he moved I started making noise (which would cause the bear to stop, and look at me), but finally he was just 3 meters away from me, my heart beating! There was no way i could get away, because I was enclosed by the balustrade, climbing over it and going into the bushes was not an option because i could not turn my back on him, I could easily have fallen and what would happen then, the bear might get annoyed etc.).
I still tried to make pictures now and then, most of them even more unsharp then this one (because of the close distance, the short time i had to point, and my eyes always looking at him to be able to react), and whenever he tried to move towards me I started to shout and the bear would halt, and look at me in a way of also not understanding what to do.
When i finally climbed upon the balustrade and swung my feet over it, I saw the bear immediately retreating a meter, and then i realized the bear was also afraid, and had no aggressive intention, and that calmed me down. So there we stood in a sort of status quo for several minutes, and i really could have a good look at this marvelous bear.
And then the bear decided he had enough.
He moved back onto the path, took a detour around me and disappeared into the bushes! I hardly could believe it, but it turned out I wasn't going to meet my maker, and that there would be more shots to come!
When I saw this picture later, I could see that the bear wasn't aggressive (here he was ca 10 meters away), but he was very uncertain about my presence and didn't know what to do.
Very close encounters of the bear kind
Although this certainly isn't a good picture (not sharp, and those leaves), to me it has been the most exciting series of pictures taken during my vacation! Maybe exciting is not the right word for the moment, because this has been my most uncorfortable moment during my stay in Canada. It could have been my last picture ever taken! So what's the story?!
While in Wells gray provincial park (BC) on my last day before going back to Vancouver, I was a little disappointed not having a decent picture of a black bear. I had seen one somewhere in Banff, but only a glimpse of a second, and I didn't expect any one any more. So I took off on the The Ray Farm and Mineral Trail hike (www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/wells_gry/corrt...) which was altogether a pleasant walk, and in the forest I saw a dropping that looked definitively like bear poo ( a lot of berries and rather big), and it looked fresh! But what is fresh (5 minutes or 30 minutes, I couldn't make out, but certainly not older. That was obvious to me. I walked on towards the Mineral spring in that area (I thought I heard a sound in the bush, I recalled later, but didn't pay attention) and came at the end of wooden path, which was closed off with a wooden balustrade (some sort of T-shape)where the mineral spring was. It was not very exciting (that one) took some pictures, and turned around, and then about 20 meters away from me I saw the back of a black bear strolling through the bushes, oef!
I didn't hesitate and started doing the thing they had learned me a long time ago, make noise and wave, which normally would make the bear go away, because this is what the books say they normally do……
Well this one didn't! he looked a little disturbed and came into my direction!! It was immediately apparent that I was on his ground, this was his normal walking path (maybe nice to the feet, this wooden path) and from time to time he stopped to look at me. I tried to make a few pictures, but my 400 mm was already not appropriate, he was too close for a 400mm), and i shifted lenses, and took this one in a hurry for two reasons. I had to keep an eye on this bear, and didn't want to point too long my camera on him, because he might consider this an act of aggression.
I had a flash back from a time in Namibia when I was observing a rhino and an elephant (from a safe distance) in the same sort of situation. Two animals being aware both of them could be extremely dangerous, one wanted to get out, the other wanting to get to the well, and there they stood for 45 minutes, sometimes one took a step very cautious forward, then looking and sending out signals to the other he meant no harm, and they finally crossed and went there own way. So my subconscious was instructing me, don't do anything rash, don't run, and look very good at the other one (without staring in the eyes, because that is the worst thing you can do, it is an extreme forn of aggression).
The bear still walked slowly towards me, and every time he moved I started making noise (which would cause the bear to stop, and look at me), but finally he was just 3 meters away from me, my heart beating! There was no way i could get away, because I was enclosed by the balustrade, climbing over it and going into the bushes was not an option because i could not turn my back on him, I could easily have fallen and what would happen then, the bear might get annoyed etc.).
I still tried to make pictures now and then, most of them even more unsharp then this one (because of the close distance, the short time i had to point, and my eyes always looking at him to be able to react), and whenever he tried to move towards me I started to shout and the bear would halt, and look at me in a way of also not understanding what to do.
When i finally climbed upon the balustrade and swung my feet over it, I saw the bear immediately retreating a meter, and then i realized the bear was also afraid, and had no aggressive intention, and that calmed me down. So there we stood in a sort of status quo for several minutes, and i really could have a good look at this marvelous bear.
And then the bear decided he had enough.
He moved back onto the path, took a detour around me and disappeared into the bushes! I hardly could believe it, but it turned out I wasn't going to meet my maker, and that there would be more shots to come!
When I saw this picture later, I could see that the bear wasn't aggressive (here he was ca 10 meters away), but he was very uncertain about my presence and didn't know what to do.