Bears!

This was bear day. On the fourth full day of our Magic of Alaska workshop, we boarded a float plane and flew across Cook Inlet to Wolverine Creek, one of Alaska’s famous bear-viewing locations. We all hoped this would be the day we would spend surrounded by brown bears. We disembarked from the planes and got into boats. The captains took the boats to a waterfall where salmon were attempting to swim upstream to reach their spawning grounds. Fishermen also come to Wolverine Creek for the salmon run. After filleting their catch, they return the heads, bones, and other remains to the water. Those leftovers quickly become food for bears, gulls, eagles, and countless smaller scavengers, returning nutrients to the ecosystem rather than removing them entirely. Bears are actually important nutrient transporters. They often carry salmon into the forest to eat, leaving behind carcasses that fertilize trees and other vegetation. Studies have shown that salmon nutrients can later be detected in the leaves of trees growing near salmon streams. It seems to me to be a win-win situation for the predators and the people, but not so much for the fish. Although those fish never completed their journey to spawn, I found myself thinking their end was probably quicker than the fate awaiting many of the salmon caught by bears. Either way, the salmon ultimately nourished the ecosystem.

We first encountered two cubs, probably about three years old. Their mother was nowhere to be seen, suggesting they had recently become independent. Although they were old enough to be on their own, siblings often remain together for a time before eventually going their separate ways. At one point they stood upright and boxed with one another, looking remarkably like playful children sparring. It was all part of practicing the skills they will someday need as adults.

A sow with two cubs arrived. The sow was excellent at finding the fish carcasses. She seemed to know exactly where to look. She would wade into the water, swim directly to a salmon carcass, and haul it back to shore with impressive efficiency. Meanwhile, her two cubs had discovered an abandoned hat and were completely unimpressed with all the salmon around them. Instead, they played an enthusiastic game of tug-of-war that looked exactly like two puppies entertaining themselves.

The eagles and gulls hung around looking for an opportunity to get their share. I continue to feel sorry for the fish. What a struggle they go through to get up stream to spawn.

While everyone else was focused on the bears, I found myself repeatedly distracted by a Northern Waterthrush working the shoreline. It gave me several opportunities for photographs between all the bear excitement.

As we cruised around the lake, we spotted another sow with three cubs. She slipped into the water and began swimming confidently across the lake while her tiny cubs paddled furiously behind her. She occasionally looked back, seemingly checking to make sure everyone was keeping up. Watching those little bears determinedly swimming after their mother was about as adorable as wildlife gets. Eventually they reached shore, climbed onto a large boulder together, and I managed to capture the photograph below.