In mountainous areas the valley bottoms tend not to get the morning and evening light. That is certainly true for the coast of BC where the coast mountains come right up to the sea and many of the rivers are tucked way up long twisting fjords. On sunny days the sweet morning and evening light often passes you by (though this isn’t always a problem, it is called the raincoast for a reason). What makes this particular site one of my favourite places on the coast, aside from the amount of bears, is that the steep sided valley is aligned perfectly so that, in late summer, the morning light shines right down onto the river. This consistently creates some of the most beautiful and dramatic lighting I’ve seen anywhere. That’s what has drawn me back several times. The bears, on the other hand, have no appreciation for all that (as far I can tell) and just come to glut on salmon.
The lighting at this river can be magical in the mornings. Mist rises from the water and witch’s hair lichen hangs from the trees.
Coastal grizzly bears spend much of the summer feeding on Lyngby’s sedge which grows on the mudflats of tidal estuaries.
It’s well known that there is nothing quite like an angry mother bear. On this occasion, when another grizzly wandered too close, a five minute chase ensued.
As a general rule in nature photography the rear end of an animal is to be avoided. Having said that for whatever reason this is my favourite kermode bear photograph.
Spirit or kermode bear crossing a log in the canyon of a salmon stream.
Jack Chapman 