Waking Up

Even in late February, the rumours were flying that some local bears were starting to roam. By April, they'll certainly be up and hungry.

Two local wildlife photographers shared some of their best bear images: Maria Glaze and Rod Innes. Capturing bears on camera demands patience and courage, both in the wild and in town.

A pair of grizzlies in the Orford River Valley in upper Bute Inlet (Maria Glaze).

Maria snapped the Grizzlies (left) on a guided trip to Bute Inlet. "When these majestic beasts stared and sniffed at me with such intensity, I looked over at our Guides to make sure they weren’t gesturing for us to run back to the bus!" she said. "I told the guides this later and they said they find grizzly bears to be more predictable than black bears. What they watch for is the bear swaying its head from side to side as a warning gesture."

A grizzly in Toba Inlet, snapped on a guided trip in Klahoose Traditional Territory

Several years ago, Maria captured a hungry black bear attacking bird feeders in her own yard. "My husband was out of town a lot in those early years and one night I was talking to my brother on the phone for company," she said, noting the feeders have long since been removed. "Every time a bear came by (we had four or five different ones coming through daily) I would blow my boat horn. The bear would run off and in a little while another would come by. While on the phone with my brother, I had to blow the horn so many times he said he thought he was at a hockey game!"

Young cubs play-fighting near spring blackberry brambles (Rod Innes).

Rod points out that cubs are born in January or February. "Black bears usually have two cubs and can vary from one to five. They weigh about three to five kilograms when then leave the den in spring. Cubs stay with the mother the first year and sometimes longer," Rod said. "When you are lucky enough to see a bear, be honored that we share our world with this amazing and beautiful creature. The black bear is one of nature’s wonders."

a black bear has figured out the wealth of salmon at the Lang Creek Hatchery (Rod Innes).

Photographing Wildlife

• If you have a camera with a zoom lens of around 4 - 5 times, that’s fine, and if you don’t that’s okay too. You can still get some good photos with a standard lens.

• Keep a camera handy even when you are in a car. Bear and deer quite often cross the road, or are seen feeding along the road side. Sometimes it's possible to get a good shot even through the windshield. Of course only try this safely, by pulling over, or if you are not the driver!

• You might come upon a bear at a distance while walking on a trail. Bears have extremely good hearing, so unless you are quiet, you are unlikely to see one.

• When I spot a bird that I want to photograph, I stop, and then approach very slowly with my camera. I often am lucky enough to get quite close.

• Animals of all kinds, tend to be curious, and when they sense that you are not threatening, they will allow you to get some wonderful pictures!

– By Rod Innes

a mom and her three cubs at Rossander Park near Lang Bay. Maria says she told the bear, "I'll leave. This is your forest," after she snapped this photo (Maria Glaze).