Bald eagles are only achieve their white headed between three and five years and prior to that they are able to sit in trees unnoticed. When soaring high an immature eagle is a little more noticeable. Still majestic with their wing span but something is missing.
River Day
For those that want an adventure that goes a little more off the beaten path… to Trapper Rick’s!
Our optional extra day is truly extra-ordinary, please take a look below.
The Views at Sailcone Pt1
Grizzly Cub Peek-a-Boo
This photo was taken on our river trip. We were lucky to have a mother bring her cub through the yard while we sat quietly and watched. The mother was very relaxed as she stopped to forage on some grass. They cub took a moment to do a bit of “people watching” before continuing to feed with her mother.
Bald eagle swimming with a salmon
Seeing a bald eagle swim is not a common sight on our wildlife tours maybe once or twice a summer. But this morning we saw three take a salmon to shore. An eagle will catch a fish in their talon that is too heavy for them to carry and they will swim to shore with it so they can eat it. They use a butterfly like swim stroke. In the first photo it is almost to the shore and the second show the eagle lifting the fish further up the shore. In this case its mate came down and took the salmon, as it was to exhausted to fight. The happy ending was that it did get to share the fish once it recovered.
Peek-A-Boo Grizzly Bear Waiting for Salmon
This particular Grizzly Bear was seen on our river trip and utilized the same spot for several weeks. He was almost always there, although at times partially obscured by the large rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. This spot was, however productive as the Grizzly would wait for salmon to leap the small falls and intercept them before they make it to the top and to the safety of the deeper water. Patience is a virtue
Dolphins at a Distance
When first noticing the white water created by a pod of pacific white-sided dolphins guest have a hard time wondering why we are changing directions suddenly. As we approach closer as in the above photo the cameras suddenly become very active. As with killer whales the “Whale Watching Guidelines” request that we do not approach closer than 100 meters (yards) but the dolphins seem to have their own ideas as will be shown in tomorrows post….
Black Bear Floating High
If this was a picture from the spring there would not be much more than the bear’s head out of the water. As the season progresses and the bears put on more fat more of their back appears. Our viewing area is comprised of many islands so it is not unusual to find bears moving between islands.
Resident Photographer/Naturalist Felix
Grizzly Cubs Sharing a Salmon
Close Approach
This is the second photo that Rainer was kind enough to send to us
“VERY close approach, raising our pulse rates”
Seeing a Grizzly Bear on land is an experience that few people ever forget. There is something special about being on the same level as these amazing animals in a safe, yet very much wild situation.
Rainer Beck, Bornheim, Germany