Viewing wildlife in a national park is a given. Yet, it is rare to be this close to a grizzly bear.
This image is of a young male grizzly I encountered in Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 2009. This bear, and his brother, had nabbed the leg of a deer that met its fate by being brought down by a pack of coyotes. We learned this from a biologist who had been tracking these two bears the entire summer.
I was on a photo tour of the park at the time and the bear was, literally, on the other side of the road. Even more impressive was how unconcerned the bear, and his brother, were of people opposite the road to them.
Some tour members got out and photographed the bear from behind the bus. I decided to roll down the window, extend my tripod, and snap a couple of images my own way (that being, my body was about half way out of the window).
As you can see from the shot, it had been raining all morning. Even in its dampened state, this bear was one of the most spectacular things I have witnessed. The wildlife of the national parks has beauty irrespective of the conditions.
I am fortunate to have seen this event. Even if I was hanging half way out of a window…
This limited edition print is available for purchase here.