Grizzly

M136 ("Split-lip") is the other large grizzly bear that calls the Bow Valley its home. As for the media and public attention, it's M122 ("The Boss") who gets most of it, if not all. But unlike perhaps us humans, neither bear cares who's on the news, nor do they care what we call them.

A few years back, I was at a viewing area, watching over a large open space when a family visiting from another province stopped to have a look. I said hello, and they asked if there was any wildlife in the area. I mentioned there were a few birds around, but as far as mammals were concerned, there were just the two-week-old grizzly bear tracks below us.

They started asking questions about bears, and the next thing you know, I was giving a point talk on the two large grizzlies, M122 and M136. After listening to me for a few minutes, during which I only used their numbers to identify them, the lady said, "That's very cold, giving them numbers instead of names." I replied, "There have been no complaints from any of the bears." Then I went on to explain that naming can lead to anthropomorphizing, which can result in data and conclusions that are not objective or valid.

Even then, researchers can develop attachments to a specific bear and feel saddened when its death is not natural. For some, naming a wild animal can place a sense of value on it, which implies that humans have power over them.

Some of the reasons a bear gets tagged are for research purposes or because the bear is being monitored for public and/or its safety. Once it's decided that a bear is going to be tagged, a team will work together, with each member having specific responsibilities. Once the bear is tranquilized, the team ensures that not only is the bear collared and ear-tagged, but that necessary samples are collected and the bear's health is checked.

With modern technology, the collar can send a radio signal or GPS coordinates. Male bears receive their ear tag with their assigned number on the left ear, while females get theirs on the right ear. Humans do make mistakes, though. A few years ago, a male black bear was spotted in the spring with cubs from that year. The Parks Canada team realized that it had been tagged on the wrong ear. Depending on how long the collar's battery lasts, it may function for a couple of years. For example, if the collar sends out a GPS signal every minute, it will last much shorter than one that sends out a signal every hour.

M136 was last collared and ear-tagged several years ago. His collar didn't last long; it's assumed he got into a fight with another grizzly, and off came the collar. However, he still has a small ear tag in his left ear, which can't be seen in this picture. It's often assumed that only part of his tag is attached to his ear, but he was tagged with a smaller ear tag. The yellow ear tag can be easily viewed, but you'd have to zoom in or get dangerously too close to see the number on the tag. There are other ways to identify him, such as his lighter-colored face, his narrower head compared to M122, the cut on his upper lip on the left side that gave him his street name of "Split-lip," and other features.

In the end, it does not matter what the public calls him or any other bear. The far more important thing is to give this bear, and all other bears, the space they need to make a living.

Grizzly Bear

Almost a week after I had seen an adult black bear on my bird walk around the stables, I came across one of the larger local grizzly bears, M136. Initially, as I walked around the fence, listening and looking out for birds, I noticed the horses seemed more apprehensive than the previous week. They were bunched up together farther back from the fence. I thought perhaps the same bear had returned. However, as I rounded the corner and looked through the fence, I saw it was a much larger grizzly bear. The horses were giving him far more breathing space. I wasn't sure which of the larger grizzly bears it was. I kept my distance the same from him but moved away from the fence so I could have a clear look at him. He glanced toward me, and I could tell from his lighter face and from having seen him many times before, it was "Split-lip". He was given the number 136 when he was first collared several years back.

Now, this stable is not a hot bead for bear sightings unless you spend 24-7 there. I can count on one hand all the bears I have seen over the years in this area. This year, however, I happened to come across a few. Like the horses, I gave M136 more space and did not attempt to walk around him, no matter how far away I was. I knew he was going to walk through the field soon, heading east. The mating season had not yet finished, and he was still focused on that, grabbing food when he could. Soon after, while chatting with my colleague who had responded to a call about this grizzly bear sighting in the area, ensuring the bear had space as he moved through the area. We watched him make a beeline in the direction we thought he would be heading. Recently, I saw him again, now deeply focused on eating. It seems he might have found a good source of protein. He looked even more impressive than he did that morning when I saw him during my bird walk.

Grizzly

M122 (“the boss”) once again got the bear season started in Banff National Park, being spotted in mid-March at the bottom of the Bow Valley. It seems like a long time ago. Even with low snowfall this past winter, there was still lots of snow for him to deal with, particularly west of Castle Junction, heading toward the Lake Louise area. But he’s no stranger to dealing with winter conditions, having the habit of waking up in March in the Canadian Rockies. About three weeks later, M136 (“split-lip”) was up, seeming a few weeks earlier than his normal wake time from winter’s deep sleep. They both looked healthy, starting another bear season, with enough fat on them to wait it out until they start gaining weight from a carcass or green vegetation in early spring. With snow gone from the valley, except for the very shaded spots, both are busy covering large distances in the midst of another mating season. I came across M136 just a few days ago as I was doing my bird walk early one morning. That's a story for another time. It’s not long now before the remaining bears will be up, just in time as the dandelion season has started.

Grizzly

Now and then, I think photography would be a lot easier if I shortened my list of photography subjects that I like to take pictures of. I would have a lot less to carry if I just took landscape pictures or just flowers. Or maybe just take pictures of birds; I can find them year-round. Or how about just predators? I can spend a lot more time watching out for them and getting better pictures with more opportunities. But I would be tired of sitting on my butt while waiting.

Over the last number of years, more of my free time has been spent focusing on things close to where I live and learning even more about the nature that is found within this place. Occurring naturally as I started realizing what I wanted to read, listen to, and watch documentaries happened to be about the area and species I’m directly familiar with. In this small part of the world, which is not that small, there is so much to see and learn. Just yesterday, I started reading “Grizzly Bear Science and the Art of a Wilderness Life” by Bruce McLellan. Even after reading the first couple of chapters last evening, I learned something new about this big guy and all the other bears like him.

Life is a lot easier when you know what you like and, just as important, what you don’t. But you still want to be challenged in life, both physically and mentally. Mentally, there is so much to learn about the subjects I like to take pictures of. There is no magic camera that can replace learning. Not only do I get to challenge myself on getting better pictures of the various subjects but I also learn how they are all connected. As for the physical part, what better way to stay active and healthy than to keep getting out there to enjoy nature and get pictures of all the moments I come across.

Now, regarding this picture. Before anyone asks if this grizzly, M122, is still up. This last fall, after spending a lot of time outdoors exploring, I was able to see him soon after one of our few snowfalls. It was in the second half of November, and I think a few days later he called it a season. For the last several years in the Bow Valley, the bear season starts when he wakes up and finishes when he goes to bed. If that pattern continues, the next bear season will start in a few months.

Grizzly

Out here in the west, where black and grizzly bears live on the same landscape. Trying to tell them apart from the fur colour, when you have never seen them or perhaps just a few times can be challenging. Particularly if you’re thinking black bears are black and grizzly (brown) bears are brown. About 70 percent of the black bears are black, in the Rockies, 50 percent are black. They can be white, blonde, cinnamon, light brown, chocolate brown or black. And the fur colour of grizzly bears varies as well, from white to blond to almost black.

So, in the Rockies, you might have to use other physical characteristics of the bears to figure out if it’s a black or grizzly bear. One can easily get that information on the internet. This dark eight-month-old grizzly cub was hanging out with its mom and her brown-coloured sibling. When someone asked out loud, "what is a black bear doing with two grizzly bears?" They got a quick answer with the correct information, leaving them with more knowledge than when they arrived. Giving them greater appreciation for bears.

Grizzly

Last year, in May, F142 came out of her den with her second set of cubs, three of them. A rare sight, to see a grizzly with three cubs. But the large family was not going to last. A month later, a large male grizzly, M136, tracked her down at Lake Louise. Popped out in the open where you rent the canoes, swam across the lake and chased the cubs below Lake Agnes. When the dust had settled, F142 had made her way to the back of Lake Louise, only to be joined by just one of her cubs. It is easier to raise one cub than two or three.  But this female now not only has to show the cub where to find food and how to be safe. But also be a playmate to its cub. The female would be spending time playing with all her cubs, but would get a break when the siblings play among themselves. Also, the cubs are less likely to get hurt when playing with someone in their weight class. No major injuries are likely to occur, just cuts and bruises that heal fast. Play fighting is an important part of a cub’s life. It gets them ready when the fights are no longer part of the play.

This picture was taken in the middle of June, when both were taking it easy. Enjoying all the dandelions they could eat. She, while eating in a small meadow, first smelled and then saw a large male grizzly approaching them. She wasn’t taking any chances. They both ran for cover in the nearby woodland. For a mother grizzly, rest never lasts too long. Always must be on the move to be safe in the wilderness.

Grizzly

One of the animals sleep researchers are looking at to get a better understanding why they don’t have to deal with the negative effects from long terms of inactivity, is the bear. How are they able to sleep for months with no negative effect on their muscles and bone mass? A possible answer could be shivering in the den, which might help maintain muscle tone and a way to avoid bedsores as well. We humans deal with rapid bone loss due to inactivity. For example, when recovering from an injury, when a tiny few of us spend time in space or when some of us just sit around and eat chocolates. Researchers have found bone degeneration does occur while the bears are in deep sleep, but they do not deal with bone loss. Likely because they recycle calcium and phosphorus right back into rebuilding bone. 

On March 23, 2023. This big guy was the first bear spotted in Banff NP this year. Probably got up to make sure he did not miss the Northern Lights that night. He slept for about three and half months. I got to see him when there was plenty of snow in the valley, well rested and ready to battle it out for another season.

Grizzly

I would say I'm part of the one percent when it comes to experiencing nature in the Canadian Rockies, even if it is mostly in Banff and occasionally venturing into Kootenay, Yoho, and Jasper national parks. When I think about all the flora and fauna, sunrises and sunsets, and other things I've seen first hand over the years, I wouldn't trade my spot with anyone. And I have many years to go. There's a reason why getting my sleep, eating right, and being active are my top three priorities to stay healthy for everything in life. Getting out with my camera for many more years is high on the list.

A couple of years ago, in the middle of the winter, I filled up the car's tank with gas before enjoying the drive back to the mountains from Calgary. A gas attendant asked after finding out I lived in Banff NP. "What do you do in Banff? "Don't you get bored?" I replied, "I enjoy nature, and there is no time to get bored."

November was when I got this picture of M122. He had gone into the woods. I waited in my car, as I knew he was going to be out in the open soon. My heart began to race as I became excited, anticipating seeing him in the open. I was not scared, I knew I was safe in the car. It's nature, it still has this powerful effect on me. A sight of wood lilies on the edge of a forest, a Yellow Warbler calling from a willow shrub, a beautiful morning sunrise, Northern Lights over Mount Rundle, perfect grizzly tracks on wind-blown snow, or the grizzly who made those tracks a week later.

Life is short. Spend as much time as you can doing things that get your heart beating faster. Don't wait until you have more time. Make time. The only difference will be for me when I have more time. My pictures will get better.

Grizzly Tracks

On November 21 2022 around 1330 I came across these grizzly bear tracks on the wind-packed snow. The tracks were fresh, after making sure I was the only one in the area. I started to look at the tracks with all sorts of photo opportunities running through my head. I realized the lens I needed was not in my pack, but the tracks were too good to pass on. Homeward I went, and I was back forty minutes later. The wind was picking up and the tracks would be mostly covered in a few hours. With the camera in hand, I started looking at what worked as a photo. I had about ten meters of track on the frozen river. So many possibilities. I must have spent twenty minutes taking pictures. The tracks were so well defined.

Grizzly

We had just gotten out of the woods on our hike, I started scanning the slopes on either side of us. I would say about eighty or ninety meters away from us were two large, dark-like objects. I thought, those can’t be rocks. We stopped so I could take my binoculars out and have a look. As soon as I got them in focus, I could see two young grizzly bears. Both were sitting back and looking around. They looked to be three years of age. I wondered if they were two cubs that were pushed away from their mother this year and were going to spend a year or two together before going their separate ways. A minute later, I saw something moving below them behind a tree. It was a large grizzly. It was their mother. She looked at us for a few seconds and went about her business. Then they moved into the trees near her, with her cubs right behind her.

 Our hiking plan was to continue walking away from the general area, and that’s what we ended up doing. Looking in their general direction a few times with no luck of seeing them again. All three looked very healthy. The mother had done a good job of gaining the weight they needed to survive the coming winter. We could see she had been digging in the area for roots, a lot of work for the much needed calories. Until it's time to sleep, the search for calories will continue. October is the month when most bears will go to sleep for the winter. It was not a good berry season in the valley in some of the places this year, and not much better higher up. The bears had to move around to find food elsewhere they needed. This mother, with experience behind her, knew where to go to find the food she and her cubs needed. She would be passing this knowledge on to them so they could survive on their own. And one or both were females, they would know how to look after their cubs one day.

Grizzly

Dandelions grow from seeds that have germinated, after remaining in the seeding stage for 8 to 15 weeks. As the plants grow up from the ground, the roots go deeper into the ground. The plant grows leaves that are between 9 to 30 centimeters long, the roots can be 18 to 54 cm long underground. The bud will sprout from the upper part of the roots. The flower can bloom during all of the growing season, but tends to bloom most often in spring in The Rockies. The flowers will open and close depending on the weather. Each plant can produce up to 12 flowers each year. With each flower producing 174 seeds, one plant can produce over 2,000 seeds. On an acre of land, 240 million seeds could be produced annually. Each seed comes with its own “helicopters”, called the Pappus. The seeds spread by the wind and by all of us who have blown on them. The seeds that find a sunny area will grow into a new dandelion. But for some dandelions, the ending is different.

Grizzly

There are a number of qualities or traits that can help make one a good nature photographer.  I think one of them has to be being a positive person, where the glass is always half-full. If I wasn’t an optimistic person, I would be missing out on many opportunities. Every time I step outside with my camera, I think I’m going to get a picture. If I don’t have my camera when I go out, that’s when I feel I’m going to come across a unicorn made of chocolate. I do everything I can to prepare, so when that opportunity comes I’m ready to shoot. Before stepping outside, I check I have everything I need and it’s working. When I’m in the car, the camera is within arm’s reach in case an opportunity comes while driving. When on foot, I should be able to get the camera out and shoot within seconds. My pack only has what I need, everything is always in the same place. I should be able to find what I need with my eyes closed. Often with wildlife you may just get one quick chance at a picture. No time to look for the camera or figure out the setting before taking a picture. Have to be ready.

It also helps if you love being outdoors any time of the year. It’s a lot easier being happy when you’re where you want to be. You’re more likely to be looking around for wildlife signs and listening to the sounds around you. Instead of wandering outdoors and starting at your boots like the members of the many alternative music bands I watched and now listen to.  While being out there, I tend to think about all the past opportunities I have come across for photography. I seem to have very short memories of the days when I came back with no pictures. When I saw this big (M122) over the fall, it was a nice surprise, but I was ready.  I had the camera pointing at it within seconds.

He was coming to the end of his 23rd or 24th season, looking as big as ever. Experience has taught him where to find food and being a big bear, he can easily push off those predators that are far better than him at killing prey. The likes of cougars and wolves, he was following the pack’s day-old track when I came across him. One can’t just turn on a positive state of mind, but once reaching it with effort, life becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable. And when I come across a chocolate unicorn one day, I’ll be ready to take its picture. For now, enjoy the beautiful grizzly bear.

Grizzly

Just a few days before the picture was taken I had heard a large grizzly was around, and I thought it would be nice to see it among the fall colours we had at that time. A couple of days later, I got a heads-up from a friend that a large grizzly was passing through. M122 had decided to move on and was walking on a trail I use a few hundred times each year. We watched him slowly making his way away from town and I waited for him to pass through the area where I might get him in focus. Staying a safe distance from him, I had to focus through the vegetation. I was able to get a couple of images of him in focus, his eye visible and the fall colours around him. He’s 23 or 24 years old, even with the bad berry season we had this year, he still found a way to add weight to get ready for deep sleep this winter. It was the start of October; he was looking healthy as his new winter coat was coming along nicely. Having the experience and being in the same territory for much of his life has its benefits when it comes to finding what you need to survive.

Grizzly Family

The day I came across this mother griz and her two four-month old cubs, it was a cold mixed weather evening. It was less than two weeks since they had come out of the den and walked to the bottom of the valley. The setting was beautiful, early summer, the mountains still covered by the previous winter snow. Plenty to eat for the hungry mother, she would have been half asleep while nursing her cubs who were born in January. She now needs to add weight for herself and to keep producing milk for her cubs. I had missed seeing this female with her previous two newborn cubs in 2019. Sadly, she lost one of the cub at the start of the season and sometime toward the end the second cub. Most likely to an adult male grizzly. Last year, she mated and enjoyed a great berry season, which helped give her more weight coming out of the den and two healthy cubs.

But, this natural occurrence is called infanticide, which involves the killing of young offspring by an adult animal of the same species. It was to take place again about 24 hours after this picture was taken. Infanticide is not only just part of wildlife, it was a practice that took place throughout human history around the world as well. In nature, it’s just as common as in the past. I first learned about it listening to my unofficial teacher, David Attenborough, when I started watching wildlife documentaries as a kid. The practice is very common among the members of the Felidae family, among lions, tigers and other cats. It does not stop there, it has been observed throughout the animal kingdom, from the microscopic world, to insects, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. In bears, it’s assumed for some of the reasons it occurs, for the male to be able to mate with the offspring's mother sooner and as well to remove future competition.

Twenty-four hours after the picture was taken, about a few kilometers away. The mother and her cubs were busy eating, in came a storm in the form of an adult male grizzly bear, out of nowhere. The mother was doing her best to protect her cubs, the cubs running for safety and the male chasing the cubs. When the storm had passed, the male was nowhere to be seen and no sight of cubs. The area was closed off to let the female grizzly deal with her loss.

Just off the top of my head, this year so far, a couple of black bears were lost on the road, a female grizzly F156 on the highway, leaving behind two yearlings and a female grizzly F130 on the railway with one of her yearling, leaving behind the other. These unnatural deaths are much harder to take. With natural occurrences, as sad as they are, that is the way of nature. As the years pass, the joy I had watching the two little cubs playing, having a small fight for ten seconds and just hanging out with their mother. Will be the memories that will dominate my thoughts when I look back at this image.

Grizzly

With wildlife I have little to no control with what type of image I’ll be coming back with, or even if I’m going to get an image. Every time I go outside, it’s with the hope of enjoying the outdoors and perhaps I’ll come back with a few good images. I’m happy with one good image. If I could control everything in front of me, I would always get the pictures I want. Knowing that’s not possible, I had to change my mindset and challenged myself to find an image of the wildlife that I will like in all sorts of situations. An ideal picture for most is the bear clearly in view and looking toward you when the picture is taken. I have seen many for whom the picture is more important than the animals, they will whistle, yell, honk their horns and more to get the wildlife to look toward them for an image. Often having a good day and getting a good picture is about mental attitude. Every day when I go out, I have very little control of what the world is going to do, but all the control how I’m going to react to it. Same goes for this bear’s picture. I tried to play no role with what the bear was going to do next, But I saw a good image of the situation in front of me, I took the image that I liked, reminding me what the mood of the moment was when I saw this bear walking on the side of the road.

Grizzly

When going for a hike, the body gets to decide when it's enough. The mind tends to get one in trouble. For me the right length for a hike is where I can still follow through with the plans for the following day. For this hike I hit the road as soon as daylight showed up. About a kilometer in, I was off the road to check what was happening along the river. When the final destination is not that important, going from A to B as fast as I can is also not that important. It’s more like Billy in the Family Circus, always taking the long way.

About 5 kilometers in, I wandered away from the road toward the river again. Among other things I saw a day old grizzly bear tracks in the snow, heading in the same direction as I. Got back on the road, taking pictures along the way. Two kilometers later I see more grizzly tracks, this time on the road, clearly visible in the light fallen snow from the night before. Tracks were the same size as before, of a large grizzly, but these were only a few hours old. The bear was wandering on the road before going in the direction as I. Not far from the road, it rubbed on a tree before moving farther away. From there I decided to stay on the road as the walk continued. I was getting warm, another layer came off and I kept the camera in my hands after trying to take a few pictures of chickadees I came across. 

I was about a kilometer from the last track’s sighting, 60 to 70 meters in front of me a large grizzly bear popped onto the road, one paw at a time from the left side. It was M136, or better known by his street name, “split-lip”. He looked toward me as I stood there, middle of the road with my right hand touching the bear spray container. After a quick look he started crossing the road and I relaxed. He stepped off the road and a few seconds later he started moving away from me. Soon he was out of my sight, I then walked to the spot where he got on the road to observe and take pictures of his fresh tracks. The legs were still feeling good, but this was a good time to listen to the mind. And it was telling me to head back.

Grizzly

According to researchers, play is a voluntary behaviour that is repeated several times and it does not seem to have an obvious function. For example, bear cub running, and not from a large male grizzly. We have seen dogs and cats playing and some of us have seen wildlife playing. Just have to pop onto your computer and it does not take long to find a video of bear cubs playing for example. I have seen the behaviour with my own eyes of four month old cubs to a 22-year-old male grizzly playing. Birds have been observed playing, reptiles and the list increases as more studies are conducted. The challenge seems to be trying to find the reasoning behind it, what are the benefits of using all that energy for playing. 

One theory is it may increase a brain’s functionality, helping increase the number of neuron connections. Which in turn can help the animals anything they do, hunting, mating, etc…, increasing the chance of surviving in the wild. 

But when I saw this cub and his mother playing with each other, it was easier to see for those of us lucky enough to observe bears a number of times. I was not thinking why, all I could do was smile and remember to take a few pictures. It was one of my favourite moments watching them take turns chasing each other.

Grizzly

It was a nice surprise being able to see this two and half year-old cub and its mother in June and a few times after that over the season. As well as being able to get a few pictures most of those times. When looking at those images of the cub, we can really see how it looks over the season and the changes that occur in terms of weight gain, fur colour change and more. A great way to learn firsthand.

 This male cub has been a handful from year one and showed a lot of independence as it got older. The last time I saw him was in October, probably a few days before it was sleepy time. About forty meters from its mother, digging for food. The muscles that help to form the hump over a few months this season, really helps with the digging. The independence might get a big test next season, if the mother decides to mate, the cub will be pushed away to defend itself. But, thanks to its mother and also with a great berry season, the cub went from being under 100 pounds to near 250 in October. The cubs learn a lot from their mother, the knowledge plays a big role in determining if it survives on its own. His grandmother was F72 and his grandfather is M122, so he has good genes running through him. Rule number one will be staying away from bigger males, including his grandfather. 

Grizzly

If I have counted the in and out of focus buffaloberries (Shepherdia canadensis) in this picture, there are 10.4 calories worth in the image. The average buffaloberry has .2 calories worth of energy in them. With a great crop this year and thanks to slow arrival of fall temperatures, the berries are still clinging on to the plant. The buffaloberries have been a very important source of food for the bears this season. Putting on weight to survive the winter and hopefully pregnant females will be giving birth to lots of cubs in the dens this January. 

With so little amount of calories per berry, it becomes a number game for the bears. an adult grizzly like this male can put down 200,000 berries a day. That's about 40,000 calories per day. Translating that for chocoholic, that's like eating 75 of one of my favourite chocolate bars a day. The answer is no for those of you thinking the question. I have not tried eating 75 bars in a 24 hour period, unless dreaming counts. 

Back to the berries. Even if you have a liking to raw buffaloberries, I would avoid copying the bears. The berries have a substance called saponin, which your digestive system will have an issue with.

Grizzly

Why did the grizzly cross the road? Joke aside, in regards to this adult male grizzly, why did he show up in the front country. He might have crossed valleys, passes and more to get where he was spotted in the Bow Valley one evening. Eating berries, which at least in the front country, are everywhere. Which is very good news for the two species of bear and all those other members of the wildlife who consume berries.

Every season few bears get spotted in the front country that did not or do not call it home. Often during mating season large males show up looking for mates, this year was no exception. I saw one very large male who I had not seen before, courting a female that spends her time between the front and back country. 

During the berry season, bears are willing to travel to get the calories they need to survive the coming winter. Perhaps the valley he calls home, the berry crop there is not as good, so in search for food could have led him into the Bow Valley. With plenty of food for a number of weeks, its worth for this bear to be in an unfamiliar land, avoiding larger males. Just so he can put on weight for the deep sleep, he will go into this fall.

Or, he could have been looking for a new home, a place where making a living is easier than where he’s from. Time may provide some answers or it may not, nature is full of mysteries. For now, he’s a healthy bear, with no visible battle scars and is getting lots to eat.