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Chuck Schneebeck Photography

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  • Glaucous-winged gulls hang out near bears, especially when the bears are eating a fish.  The gulls are happy to clean up any scraps that the bears leave behind.  Photo DSC_9162
    DSC_9162.jpg
  • Is this a modest bear?  Photo DSC_5991
    DSC_5991.jpg
  • As the bear eats the fish a raven shows up in case there are any leftovers. Nothing of the fish will go to waste
    DSC_1772.jpg
  • Still coming hard.
    DSC_1758.jpg
  • As the family leaves the water, one cub looks back at a bear that was behind them.  The temperature was in the mid 20’s F and there was a stiff wind blowing.  The bears showed no sign of being cold.
    DSC_1294.jpg
  • Have you ever tried running in four feet of water?  Brown bears are very good at it.  Photo DSC_6760
    DSC_6760.jpg
  • Eye contact during a special moment.  DSC_6573
    DSC_6573.jpg
  • Bashful cub.  Photo DSC_1247
    DSC_1247.jpg
  • A sow and her cubs are getting ready to go up on the beach.  They have just finished swimming across a bay that was freezing up.
    DSC_1286.jpg
  • The bears move with ease over uneven rocky terrain. Photo DSC_8872
    DSC_8872.jpg
  • The cubs are checking out a nearby bear.  Mom does not seem to be concerned.  Photo DSC_ 6861
    DSC_6861.jpg
  • Brown bears are very graceful swimmers.  Photo DSC_0433
    DSC_0433.jpg
  • The prize is in sight.
    DSC_1763.jpg
  • There is an intensity in the charge.  The bear is ignoring me and keeping an eye on food.
    DSC_1755.jpg
  • “It would be fitting, I think, if among the last man-made tracks on earth would be found the huge footprints of the great brown bear.” – Earl Fleming
    DSC_0952.jpg
  • Negotiating the rock at the edge of the river requires an occasional big step.  Photo DSC_7987
    DSC_7987.jpg
  • Big paws.  Photo DSC_6915
    DSC_6915.jpg
  • Brown bears use their powerful claws to dig for roots and small mammals when the fish are not spawning.  Photo DSC_6227
    DSC_6227.jpg
  • DSC_0236.jpg
  • As the last of the roe is squeezed out of the fish, the bear gets ready to take it to dry land to have a meal.
    DSC_1768.jpg
  • In the Southern Beaufort Sea, “sea ice forms along the shore and then retreats, especially in summer. As the sea ice retreats farther and farther from shore in a warming Arctic, these polar bears are faced with a choice of coming ashore—and fasting until the ice returns in the fall—or swimming long, exhausting distances to reach the remaining pack ice.  However, because ice located far offshore lies over less productive waters, bears in these areas may successfully complete a marathon swim yet still not find any seals to hunt.” – Polar Bears International.
    DSC_1887.jpg
  • This bear was entering the water, making a splash as it walked.
    DSC_0929.jpg
  • Always on the lookout for a morsel.  Photo DSC_6232
    DSC_6232.jpg
  • Still the focus.  Can you feel the power?
    DSC_1754.jpg
  • Passing just a few feet away in the river, this sow gave us a good closeup look.  Photo DSC_7824
    DSC_7824.jpg
  • Cubs checking us out.  Although the same age, the larger cub is the dominant one and gets to eat first.  This is a good example of the effect of nutrition on size.  Photo DSC_6962
    DSC_6962.jpg
  • Sow with her two-year-old cubs.  Photo DSC_6521
    DSC_6521.jpg
  • DSC_1676.jpg
  • The bear makes quick work of the fish. But the hyperphagia makes the bear go back into the stream to look for another meal.  That will go on all day long, increasing the chances that the bear will have enough fat to survive hibernation.  From the time the bear saw the fish move until it was in the bears mouth was four seconds.
    DSC_1774.jpg
  • There is movement in the water on the far side of the river.  It is worth a try to check it out, but there is no time to waste.
    DSC_1752.jpg
  • DSC_2015.jpg
  • Polar bears that live in the Southern Beaufort Sea, which includes those around Barter Island, are at great risk from longer and longer swims, prolonged fasting periods, and encounters with humans on shore.
    DSC_1941.jpg
  • This little bear has just finished a fish meal and is checking on the location of other nearby bears.  For their safety, smaller bears will move away from larger bears.  Photo DSC_8931
    DSC_8931.jpg
  • DSC_8877.jpg
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  • When you turn around and you see this looking at you, it gets your attention.  Photo DSC_7808
    DSC_7808.jpg
  • This bear swam by us looking for fish.  Photo DSC_7318
    DSC_7318.jpg
  • The clarity of the water added to the beauty of the moment.  Photo DSC_7203
    DSC_7203.jpg
  • The water is very clear, and the bears are able to see fish on the bottom of the river.  Photo DSC_6918
    DSC_6918.jpg
  • The claws of the bears are very useful in digging the dens that they use for hibernation.  Photo DSC_6872
    DSC_6872.jpg
  • The explosive power of a bear can be viewed when it is fishing in deep water.    Photo DSC_6748
    DSC_6748.jpg
  • The cubs keep close to each other almost all the time.  Photo DSC_1052
    DSC_1052.jpg
  • At low tide Brown bears will fish for flat fish in the tidal basins.  When the tide comes in, the bears switch to salmon in the river.   Photo DSC_0860
    DSC_0860.jpg
  • Gotcha.  The rush pays off for the bear.  Now it just has to clamp down and not let the fish escape.
    DSC_1766.jpg
  • Closing in.
    DSC_1761.jpg
  • Notice how the bear is not looking at its feet but is staring at a potential snack.
    DSC_1753.jpg
  • This bear is scanning the surface of the stream.
    DSC_1750.jpg
  • As winter approaches bears get ready for hibernation by going into a state of hyperphagia--a time when the bears have a ravenous appetite to pack on as much fat as possible to get through the winter.  This bear was looking for fish to help satisfy his quest for calories.
    DSC_1728.jpg
  • He took time to scratch his nose, but he continued to keep an eye out for fish.
    DSC_1732.jpg
  • Watching polar bears swim through icy water I could not help but think that they are in their preferred environment.
    DSC_1732.jpg
  • As the bear crossed the lake, it wandered onto thin ice and fell in.  In this photo, the bear is getting ready to crawl out of the water.
    DSC_0948.jpg
  • After falling through the ice, this bear crawled back upon the thicker ice and walked away.  Backlighting caused a glow on the neck and left front leg.  Notice that the fur is matted and not fluffy.  The bear has an undercoat that helps protect it from the cold water.  But its most important protection from the cold is a layer of fat that can be as much as four and a half inches thick.
    DSC_0988.jpg
  • This family set down for a family portrait – very considerate of the photographers.  Or were they amusing themselves by watching the people?
    DSC_0768.jpg
  • A sow polar bear and her cubs wander around the beach waiting for the freeze up.  One of the cubs stayed very close to its mother.  The other cub would explore further away from its mom.
    DSC_0747.jpg
  • As winter approaches bears get ready for hibernation by going into a state of hyperphagia--a time when the bears have a ravenous appetite to pack on as much fat as possible to get through the winter.  They fish constantly.  Photo DSC_9098
    DSC_9098.jpg
  • More than once we had close encounters with bears coming through the high grass.  We would freeze in place and the bear would go around us.  Photo DSC_7811
    DSC_7811.jpg
  • We were between these cubs and their mother.  It was a tense moment, but it worked out well.  Photo DSC_6900
    DSC_6900.jpg
  • When I was photographing, the bears diet was almost exclusively fish.  I call this photo fish farts.  Photo DSC_1133
    DSC_1133.jpg
  • A group of female Pronghorn.
    untitled-63.jpg
  • Almost there.  The fish is struggling to get to deeper water, but there is none to be had.
    DSC_1764.jpg
  • Time to look elsewhere.  The bear has the best luck when it is able to scan the full width of the river.  Often fish are moving either upstream or down.  This can make them visible from above the water.  If there is not a fish in the pool, then the next thing to do is to see if there is a fish visible from above the stream surface.
    DSC_1746.jpg
  • The bears of the Katmai spend enough time fishing that they know where to look.  Fish often hang out in the pools so submerging one’s head in a pool of water has potential for a meal.  But this time he came up empty.
    DSC_1743.jpg
  • As the first rays of the sun cast a pink light, this bear shakes its to remove the ice and water from its head.
    DSC_1404.jpg
  • These two big guys are waiting for fish in the rapids.  Normally solitary, Brown bears will gather rather closely in numbers at good spawning sites.  They tolerate each other, but don’t get too close to one another.  Photo DSC_7897
    DSC_7897.jpg
  • What?  Me worry?  Sometimes bears just look cute.  Photo DSC_6850
    DSC_6850.jpg
  • This bear had frightened some of the fish into the shallows and is about to turn to have its lunch.  Photo DSC_6719
    DSC_6719.jpg
  • This gives a whole new meaning to giving lip.  Photo DSC_6259
    DSC_6259.jpg
  • This sow had cubs nearby and was checking us out.  Photo DSC_5811
    DSC_5811.jpg
  • As the bear tightens its bite on the fish, roe is forced out.  Notice the claws that can be used if necessary to keep the fish from escaping.
    DSC_1767.jpg
  • Power and intensity
    DSC_1757.jpg
  • When swimming through the slush, the bears will go under water.  When they come up, their heads are covered with ice.
    DSC_1452.jpg
  • Seals are the main food of polar bears.  A bear will wait at a seal’s breathing hole for a long time.  When the seal comes up to breath, the bear drags it out of the hole and crushes its skull by biting it.  This bear’s mouth is not all the way open.
    DSC_0397.jpg
  • The beaches around Barter Island are quite barren.  These two bears were roaming around waiting for the sea ice to form.  Then they will go onto the ice to hunt for seals.
    DSC_0444.jpg
  • In the past, this bear found a good supply of food in this bone pile.  But in 2018 the whale bones were pushed into the sea, so its food source was gone. The bear moved on.
    DSC_0277.jpg
  • “Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty.” <br />
― Albert Einstein
    DSC_0225.jpg
  • Walking just a few feet from us, this bear provided a good opportunity for a closeup.  Photo DSC_6675
    DSC_6675.jpg
  • Pledge bear.  She had two cubs that were nearby playing in the rocks.  I thought she might be giving thanks for the break.  Photo DSC_1604
    DSC_1604.jpg
  • Spring flowers below the Tetons.
    untitled2.jpg
  • COPYRIGHTED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
    DSC_0232.jpg
  • Continuing the charge and creating a bit of a splash.
    DSC_1756.jpg
  • As polar bears swim, their paws often come above the surface of the water.  In this photo, you can get a sense of the size of a polar bear paw.
    DSC_1702.jpg
  • All four feet on one rock, an example of how agile these bears are.  Photo DSC_8885
    DSC_8885.jpg
  • Being close to their mother not only provides protection for the cubs, but it a time that they learn survival skills such as how to hunt, fish and forage.  The Brown Bear is one of the most omnivorous animals in the world and has been recorded as consuming the greatest variety of foods of any bear.  DSC_0771
    DSC_0771.jpg
  • Polar Bears are highly specialized apex predators.  It is highly unlikely that they will be able to adapt to eat other food sources in response to a warming environment.
    DSC_1890.jpg
  • Polar bears are excellent swimmers, and recent studies document that polar bears regularly swim over thirty miles.  But as sea ice recedes, the necessity for longer swims will increase.  Long swims require more energy expenditure.  And this happens at a time when it is more difficult to find food.
    DSC_1765.jpg
  • This bear has just gotten out of the water.  We think of polar bears as being white, and sometimes they are.  But the fur can be discolored by accumulated dirt by being on land.  Oils accumulate in the hair and give the bears a yellow color.  And the lighting affects the color of the bear.  Early morning backlighting is causing this bear to glow.
    DSC_1502.jpg
  • Always checking things out.  Who knows, there might be something to eat
    DSC_1569.jpg
  • Sometimes the bears have disagreements and when that happens claws and teeth can do some damage.  Notice the cut on the neck of this bear.
    DSC_0350.jpg