Quick Visit to Denali Park; Animals (Bears, Part 3) (June 2021)
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Who would have thought it would take three (or more) posts to depict the bears visible during such a short visit to Denali Park? Or that four different bears would be such good subjects?
The last of the four was the most accommodating. When first seen, it seemed to be wandering about, not quite aimlessly, following the terrain's shallow undulations, hollows, depressions, and rises, and inevitably getting closer to the bus. It ambled close to the road, dug into the tundra, snuffled around, chewed roots, crossed the road, dug some more, and chewed more roots. It did all this without even acknowledging the now-stopped bus, although the bear came within twenty feet of the front door, close enough at one point that the lens was almost fully zoomed in (at 148mm) and the bear still completely filled the frame. Only once did it seem to realize that there was something, perhaps the bus, unexpected in front of it.
This bear seemed vaguely clueless and was probably not fully grown, possibly a two-year old that was newly off on its own. Close up, it was smaller, perhaps 300 fluffy pounds, than it had looked when it first appeared on the hillside above the road. It sometimes acted like a teenager chewing on a toothpick and trying to look cool, but coming across as a little goofy. There was no semblance of apex-predator attitude; fangs and claws were on peaceful display, visible when it yawned and as it ambled and dug. Anyway, do you think a 700-pound boar would jeopardize its image and apex standing by wandering around with a twig hanging loosely out of his mouth like a teenager with a toothpick?
Advance apologies for the number of images. But the rambling and ambling and foot placement are especially interesting. Besides, it isn't often you get such a close and prolonged view of a grizzly doing grizzly things. And, spoiler alert, there will be a final bear post, to display some tighter crops detailing grizzly features.
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This is the only frame in which the bear seems to acknowledge the bus with a little eye lock. But the next frame suggests disinterest.
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After more digging, another root:
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Comments
After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.