Alaska's Brooks Falls: Traveling 3,600 miles searching for "The Shot".

Photographers go to Brooks Falls in July for “the shot”.     The iconic Brooks Falls picture, "Catch of the Day", that made Tom Mangelson famous.  It’s been plastered all over the world in wildlife magazines, photography galleries and the internet.  National Geographic has it as one of the top wildlife shots; that picture of a bear on top of the falls starting to chomp down on a salmon that seems to be jumping straight into his mouth.  We all want that shot!  We all think we can get that shot, but how easy is it?

The first day that my family arrived, we were in absolute awe of the place, clicking at everything that moved, bears, fish, birds, even bugs. 

 Mostly though, it was the about the bears;

 Baby bears,

 Loving bears

 Diving bears,

Yawning bears,

 Fishing bears,

Standing bears,

 and Scratching bears. 

Didn’t matter, if it was a bear we took pictures until my lone battery ran out, 30 minutes before the platform closed at 10 PM. 

The next day, armed with fresh memory cards and two batteries, we hit the platform early in the morning.  Can you believe it, the sun was too bright!  We had gorgeous weather and the sun made the lighting too harsh for great shots.  I hadn’t focused on getting that infamous shot, so I was determined in the afternoon to only focus on “the shot”. 

We spent the morning at the falls, watching the bears catch salmon, spotting  a juvenile Bald Eagle and the returning cubs.

 

 We walked back to the lodge for a snack and I opted for a late lunch.  That way I could skip dinner and stay at the falls to make a full day of it.  The Park Service has strict rules, no snacking in the park!  To make sure that people aren’t thought of as a food source, you are not allowed to carry anything in your pack; no food  (no M & Ms!) or flavored beverages (no diet coke!), just yucky water. 

Luckily its Crissy and Tony behind me and not a bear.

So I wouldn’t be walking alone, Tony and Crissy walked with me to the falls, stayed for a couple hours and then walked back for dinner.  I was living on adrenaline; who needs food!  I stood on the viewing platform for 6 1/2 hours straight, determined to focus my attention on getting that one perfect shot.  My finger never strayed from the button, even when I got my picture taken. 

  I had my camera and lens locked on the target, the lone bear on top of the falls. 

 I was bound and determined to aim only there until I had that perfect picture.  I visualized it many times, however, it wasn’t quite as easy as I dreamed it would be. 

A catch in her mouth and a swat of her paw to keep it there.

 My eye was steady on the target, but then a Bald Eagle flew in and was wreaking havoc in the river, scaring off the seagulls and trying to grab loose scraps of fish.  Forget the main target, get the eagle! 

 I swing my camera and click away at the eagle.

  He moves from the tree.    Incoming!     He starts coming right at me.

Oops, the bear finally got a fish, while I was catching the eagle in flight!  Missed it!

Two bears took turns reigning over the falls.  The mother with the three spring cubs and another large male bear took turns fishing at that spot.  For some reason the salmon stopped jumping for about 2-3 hours during the middle of the afternoon.  They are much more cognizant where the bears are than I gave them credit.  With the sun high in the sky, I guess they saw the bear on the falls and waited until it moved before jumping. 

Regardless, I religiously kept my focus on the bear at the top of the falls.  The bear didn’t give up, so neither would I.  Fish occasionally jumped and she would miss the catch.

  Or she would watch them jump by. 

 Or she would cradle the catch with  her feet. 

 What is she doing?  Is she daydreaming? 

Open your mouth, its right there!!!!

One of my favorites.  Bear and salmon- nose to nose!

I heard while we were at the lodge she caught four fish in less than an hour, she didn’t do so well in the afternoon.   Keeping the camera tightly focused on the bear, I kept constantly refocusing, just to make sure if a salmon started jumping, I would be ready. 

Oh the dilemma, which one do I pick?

An hour later, I was still there with my finger poised on the capture button when tempers flare.  Fight!  I swing the camera again, I can take just a couple pictures of teeth and claws, I won't miss anything. 

Oops, wrong again, she catches another fish! 

Kicking myself, I focus again, but then the sow with the cubs returned.  They were so cute, forget the sailing fish, shoot the cubs! 

Oops, another fish bites the dust and I missed it. 

 

And so I continued in this matter for hours, taking pictures of either the fish sailing by the bear or the bear’s near misses,  all the while getting distracted by other sights, missing most of the activity leading up to the catches that had other people clicking away. 

I began to question myself, my skills and equipment.  Not fast enough on the gun.  Getting older, my reflexes must be slow.  My camera must not be fast enough, my lens too slow.  Shortly after 5 1/2 hours, my right hand and arm went into spasms, holding my hand in the same position for hours had taken its toll.  Trying to get my arm to relax, I missed another catch.  I can’t win!

 Bears are very patient.  They spent hours fishing and sometimes I think they get a little bored too.  Or is it that they think if they position themselves with their mouths open, the fish will jump right in?

I thought at first that it was all me, but after reviewing my pictures it became apparent, both the bear and I had limitations to our high expectations.  Neither of us were always prepared for that random salmon to unexpectedly pop out through the mist and most jumps would not result in that perfect catch. 

 However, I did get a few memorable shots where she was going for the grab.



Going for the grab before she chomps down and she's looking my way!



So Close!

And a lot more that were just out of reach.  Unfortunately she didn't get the memo, Look my way when fishing!

 

  

 All and all, I took 7,500 pictures at Brooks Falls and got a few excellent ones.  I know the bears, my equipment and I have limitations and I will just have to live with that.  No matter how good you are or how good your equipment,  you need a luck too.  And while I may have not gotten the perfect Brooks Falls iconic picture, well, there’s always next time! 

or Photoshop!

Brooks Falls: The Bears!

Our trip to Brooks Falls was off to a great start, we survived the plane ride, the weather was gorgeous and we had three days to observe and photo bears.  The bears at Katmai NP are referred to as Brown Bear.  Don’t let that innocuous name fool you, these bears are the larger cousin of the infamous Grizzly Bear, up to 150 pounds heavier. 

Their huge size can be attributed to their rich diet of salmon available in the area.  From the wounds and scars each bear was sporting, these seemingly docile creatures had tempers, using their massive paws and claws to take out their frustrations! 

Brooks Camp sits on the edge of the Naknek Lake and the Sockeye Salmon that the bears feed on migrate from the ocean, through Naknek Lake, up the one mile Brooks River, across Brooks Lake and into the smaller tributaries above where they spawn.  The salmon must run through several bear gauntlets to reach their September spawning grounds; the most formidable obstacle being Brooks Falls.  We arrived towards the end of the migration through the falls; however, hundreds of salmon were visible every day at different points along the river leading to the falls.  The bears continue to follow the salmon and once all the salmon clear the falls, the bears follow them to their next destination.

Approximately 2,200 bears are in the Katmai NP region, we must have seen 30-40 of those over the course of the visit.  Within the first 30 minutes we saw bears on all sides of the lodge area, several were swimming in the water where the planes land, several were in the Brooks River that ran behind the cabins, and several more were taking a nap on a sand bar near to the float bridge that we had to cross to get to the falls.  No worries about being too late to see bears, they were everywhere. 



Unsuspecting Fisherman has a bear heading his way.

This is special, unique place.  There are not many places where you are guaranteed to observe lots of bears wondering loose and interacting in their natural environment.  Add to that the uncertainty of whether a 1,200 pound bear will pop out next to you on the trail or that you get caught in the cross fire of their interactions and you have ingredients for an unpredictable and unbelievable experience . 

 

The first evening we had just returned from the falls and we were on the porch of the lodge taking pictures.   

Out of nowhere two full grown bears were playing tag, bolting right past us at a full gallop, not 10 feet way.  First on the trail, then down to the beach, back up on the trail again, and around all the cabins they went, chasing about 50 people off the path in the process. 

 Half the people rushed into the safety of the lodge, slamming the door behind them.  The remainder took refuge on the porch of the first cabin next to the lodge.  Looking for the bears from the inside of the lodge, it was so amusing to see all the people on the porch, pointing in all directions as they told their stories.  I was really happy we weren’t caught on the trail when they came barreling through, but it certainly was humorous to see everyone’s reactions.

 

Observing the bears from the viewing platform at the falls was fascinating. 

 

 

The bears were conditioned to humans and appeared to be totally oblivious to our presence. 

  
  Hard to imagine going unnoticed with up to 40 people watching them 15 hours a day on this huge two tiered deck right next to the falls.  Most people watched in silence until a bear caught a fish

and then there would be a flurry of “Ahs” and the whorl of the cameras,  “Click, Click, Click”. 

 

The bears that got the most attention were the two sows with cubs.  There were two sets of triplets; one that were a year old and another set of “spring cubs, those newborn this spring. 

 

Sows with cubs were much more leery of humans, but extremely concerned about other bears at the falls.  They constantly were on high alert for any movements towards the cubs. 

 

The mother with the three spring cubs had a set of triplets killed the previous year.  They were tough to photograph because she kept taking them to the bushes to keep them safe.  

 

The bears would go about their business, patiently wait for a fish near the falls

 

  or snorkel in the foamy water looking for fish. 

 

 When a salmon was snagged, they would carry it off to rip the fish to shreds in solitude. 

 

 

 

They seemed to know we posed no danger.  But every once in a while, a bear would unexpectedly make brief eye contact with you, letting you know they knew they were being watched. 

Bears do not normally hang out together; they can have overlapping territories and loosely range in those areas.  However, when the salmon are running, behaviors change and the primary consideration is gorging themselves before winter hibernation.  During this time they eat up to 40 salmon a day which is 100,000 calories.  No wonder they put on so much weight!

Bear personalities over the course of the three days became apparent.  The park rangers had started naming some of the bears, adopted that philosophy and named them too.  It was easier to differentiate them conversations. 

Our first group we nicknamed after the Care Bears; The Share-Bears.  These two had the most amazing display of friendship.  There was one bear who was excellent at catching fish and one who couldn’t catch anything.  Every time the expert bear took his catch away from the group to eat, his friend, the bear that needed remedial fish catching instruction would come over and sit nose to nose with the bear ripping the fish apart.  Rather than growl, attack or chase him off, the expert bear would eat away and always leave the other bear some scraps which he gratefully gobbled up.  We thought maybe they were siblings.  However, the rangers told us siblings didn’t usually exhibit this behavior and it was very unusual bears to share like that.  Over and over during the course of the 3 days, this behavior continued leading to us name them “The Share Bears”!

There were a number of love-a-lot bears, prioritizing loving over food.  All the other bears keep telling them, “Get a room!”

We also had a number of bears that looked like they came out of the Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree

Liver Lips, who had an extreme under bite

 

And the fair Trixie, all she needed was her swing and tutu to round out the group

As human's we tend to humanize wildlife, we think they are cute and endearing. 

We trick ourselves into thinking that we have some type of bond with wild animals, that they like us;  we want to play with them, pet their heads, play ball with them 'cause they are so darn cute. 

 

 We made Smokey the Bear the mascot of preventing forest fires, every child has a teddy bear at some point their life.



Otis

 

Teddy Ruxpin even read us stories and put us to sleep.   So it easy to be lulled into a false security that these monstrous animals would do us no harm.

Then snap!  Something happens at the falls that brings you quickly back to reality, that bears are unpredictable and wild.   That any interaction with these furious animals need to be managed and  respected. 

The light was disappearing behind the mountains as our day at the platform came to an end.  We began the 1.2 mile trek back to the lodge.  As we hiked down the narrow path full of underbrush,  nervously looking over our shoulders and side to side,  a scene from the Wizard of OZ came to mind.  At least we didn't have to worry about any lions or tigers, just bears!


Post #3 Alaska's Brooks Falls; Traveling 3,600 miles in search of "The Shot"