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48 portrait, scenic and behavioral images of Coastal Brown Bears
taken at Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.
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Alaskan Coastal Brown Bears
Golden Female and Cubs
Coastal Brown Bears Fishing
Assorted Coastal Brown Bears
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Yellowstone Black Bears
Black Bears: Adults and Cubs
Black and Cinnamon Adults and Cubs
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear Brown Bear Composites
Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear Black Bear Cubs Brown Bear
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Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear X2900
An Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear wading down Silver Salmon Creek into the morning sun.
The Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear lives in the coastal areas, as the name suggests.
The southern coast of Alaska has seasonal spawning runs of the five Pacific Salmon,
as well as a milder climate and a rich array of vegetation that allows the bears to grow
larger and live in denser populations than their inland cousins the Grizzly Bear, which
are otherwise classified as the same species. The Brown Bear ranges in color from
a dark brown through a light blond, and has a noticeable hump atop the shoulders.
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Brown Bear Eating Sedge Grass X3724 M
The bear eats sedge grass while waiting for salmon to arrive.
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A Coastal Brown Bear eating sedge grass at mid-morning.
Brown Bear in Sedge Grass X3725
Brown bears are omnivores and consume the greatest variety of foods of any bear, eating nearly anything they encounter.
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Brown Bears are one of the most omnivorous of animals, and tend to consume a wide variety of foods.
They eat a variety of plants including berries, sedge grass, flowers, nuts, pine cones, roots and shoots.
Bears also eat winter-provided carrion, insects and grubs, birds and eggs, rodents, clams and crabs,
but Coastal Brown Bears feed mostly on Salmon during the five salmon spawning runs, deriving most
of their nutrition from the fish and eggs. The nutritious diet and the abundance of fish in the area make
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bears larger than their inland Grizzly cousins (males are larger than females).
All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without the title bar.
Brown Bear in Sedge Grass X3028
A Coastal Brown Bear walking along the edge of the sedge grass at Silver Salmon Creek in the late afternoon.
Silver Salmon Creek is in Lake Clark National Park, at the bottom of the Alaska Peninsula in
southwestern Alaska, on the west side of Cook Inlet between Chinitna Bay and Tuxedni Bay.
Located 100 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska, it is accessible only by boat or float plane.
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Brown Bear in Sedge Grass HS2741
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Brown Bear in Sedge Grass HS2749
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A Coastal Brown Bear wades through the sedge grass near Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park.
The sedge grass provides plentiful plant material to augment the salmon the bears congregate in the area to eat.
The sedge grass is between the edge of the Boreal Forest (White and Black Spruce) and Silver Salmon Creek.
In image 2749 (seen above right), blooming Fireweed paints the border of the Boreal Forest with riotous color.
Brown Bear in Sedge Grass HS2771 16x9
A young Coastal Brown Bear in the sedge grass at the edge of the Boreal Forest near Silver Salmon Creek.
Most of the bears in Lake Clark National Park gather in Chinitna Bay or at Silver Salmon Creek when salmon are
running, and there are so many fish that Lake Clark itself is home to the world’s only salmon-dependent wolf pack.
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Brown Bear on Bank X3825
An Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear looks for fish from the bank alongside Silver Salmon Creek at mid-day.
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Brown Bear on Bank X3741
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Brown Bear Fishing X3750
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A Brown Bear looks for late morning fish from the muddy bank and then wades into Silver Salmon Creek.
Brown Bear at Sunrise X2930
An Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear in the sedge grass, backlit by the golden light at sunrise.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear Brown Bear Composites
Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear Black Bear Cubs Brown Bear
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Brown Bear in Sedge Grass X3570
A juvenile Brown Bear running through the sedge grass in the late afternoon.
A soft portrait was achieved by shooting through a high stand of intervening grass.
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Brown Bear in Sedge Grass X3575
A young Brown Bear traverses the sedge grass towards a fallen tree on his way to Silver Salmon Creek.
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Brown Bear on Fallen Tree X3584
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Brown Bear on Fallen Tree X3585
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The juvenile Brown Bear poses for the photographer, leaning against the tree and sticking out his tongue.
Brown Bear in Sedge Grass X3586
The young bear practices his cute look while walking away from the tree through the sedge grass.
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Brown Bear in Sedge Grass X3587
A profile portrait of a juvenile Coastal Brown Bear in the sedge grass in the late afternoon.
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Brown Bear Approaching Fishermen HS2297
A Coastal Brown Bear approaches a group of unsuspecting fishermen on Silver Salmon Creek.
The fishermen on Silver Salmon Creek tend to string caught salmon together and store them underwater
to keep them fresh while they continue fishing. Some of the local bears have learned this, and when they
get tired of chasing down spawning salmon, they steal some poor fisherman’s catch right off his line, or
more often they take the fish that a fisherman stored near the bank right off his stringer and eat them.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear Brown Bear Composites
Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear Black Bear Cubs Brown Bear
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Brown Bear Silver Salmon Creek X4193
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Brown Bear Silver Salmon Creek X4201
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Close portraits of an Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear fishing at mid-afternoon in Silver Salmon Creek.
Brown Bear Silver Salmon Creek X4200 16x9
The Salmon runs in Silver Salmon Creek attract a number of bears, and the normally solitary nature
of the Brown Bear changes due to the abundance of fish. The bears tend to tolerate other bears and
even humans in the area, although when one bear is fishing in a particular stretch of the creek, others
will avoid the area. When a large male arrives, other bears tend to rapidly scatter and leave it to him.
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Brown Bear Crossing Creek HS2759
A reflection portrait of a female Coastal Brown Bear crossing Silver Salmon Creek.
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Brown Bear Crossing Creek HS2760 M
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Brown Bear Crossing Creek HS2763
This bear waded across the creek to the bank right below the spot where I was standing, then proceeded to climb the bank.
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Brown Bear Climbing Bank HS2765
A close shot of a female Brown Bear climbing the bank alongside Silver Salmon Creek.
This bear topped the bank less than 10 feet away from me, and while shooting these images
I prepared to lift the tripod and roar in the hope that the bear would move away, but the bear had
already seen me while crossing the creek. She completely ignored me, which was quite a relief.
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Brown Bear on Bank HS2767
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The bear sniffed the grass and peeked at me under her brow, then turned to look back at the creek before walking away.
Brown Bear on Bank HS2768
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Brown Bear on Bank HS2770 M
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Although this was a young female without cubs, having a Brown Bear top the bank less than 10 feet
from you can be quite an unnerving experience. This was definitely an underwear-changing moment.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear Brown Bear Composites
Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear Black Bear Cubs Brown Bear
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Brown Bear Fishing XL
A 1500 x 1845 version of the XL Composite (3000 x 3630)
showing a Coastal Brown Bear fishing in the early afternoon.
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Brown Bear Shakeoff HS2714
A Coastal Brown Bear shakes off after fishing in Silver Salmon Creek in the late afternoon.
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Brown Bear Close Portrait HS3015
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Brown Bear Shakeoff HS3019
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Close portraits of a Brown Bear fishing in Silver Salmon Creek and shaking off in mid-afternoon.
Brown Bear Shakeoff X3525
A close portrait of a Coastal Brown Bear shaking off after fishing in the late afternoon.
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Brown Bear Shakeoff X4019c
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Brown Bear Shakeoff X4021c
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A Coastal Brown Bear stands over his fish and shakes off after a successful chase in Silver Salmon Creek.
A group of images and a composite from this chase are on the Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear: Fishing 2 page.
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Brown Bear Shakeoff X4022
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Brown Bear Shakeoff X4023
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Bears eat a lot of salmon during spawning runs, as they need to double their weight to allow them
to survive the winter in their den. While in the den, they do not hibernate, but their body temperature,
heart rate, and metabolic rate drops, and they do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate. They must build
up a vast store of body fat to survive while they sleep the time away during the long Alaskan winter.
In some southern areas of Alaska with milder climate (such as on Kodiak Archipelago 200 miles
further south, just east of the Katmai Peninsula), Brown Bears can remain active all winter. The
Kodiak Bears have been isolated from other species of brown bear since the last Ice Age,
and are the largest subspecies of Brown Bear. Larger males can exceed 1500 pounds.
Brown Bear Shakeoff XXL
A 1500 x 1590 version of the XXL Composite (6010 x 6130)
showing a Brown Bear shaking off after catching a Salmon.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear Brown Bear Composites
Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear Black Bear Cubs Brown Bear
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Brown Bear Standing X3865
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Brown Bear Standing X3868
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A Brown Bear standing in the shallows of Silver Salmon Creek, searching for fish in the early afternoon.
Brown Bear Standing X3874 M
The sight of a large standing bear at close range can be an exciting experience.
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Brown Bear Standing XL
A 1500 x 1590 version of the XL Composite (3010 x 3125)
showing a Brown Bear searching for fish in the early afternoon.
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Brown Bear Fishing at Dusk X3608
An Coastal Brown Bear fishing at dusk (10 PM), in the mouth of Silver Salmon Creek at Cook Inlet.
Southern Alaska is quite close to the Arctic Circle, where the sun remains in the sky in the summer months.
Dusk occurs late at night in the summer and twilight occurs at midnight, as the sun is only about 6-7 degrees
below the horizon in the summer, causing a phenomenon known as “White Nights” (no need for artificial light).
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Brown Bear Fishing at Dusk X3614
The light is still fairly low for action photography, so I ended up shooting these images with a 300mm lens
wide open at f/2.8 to gather enough light and still keep the ISO low to reduce noise level and maintain detail.
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Brown Bear Fishing at Dusk X3617
More images from this dusk fishing session are on the Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear: Fishing 1 page.
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Brown Bear Crossing Creek X2868 M
An enormous 1200 pound male Coastal Brown Bear crossing Silver Salmon Creek at sunset.
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Brown Bear Male Standing at Sunset X2890 M
A 1200 pound Brown Bear stands to search for spawning salmon at sunset in Silver Salmon Creek.
More images of this spectacular boar are shown on the Assorted Brown Bears: Sunrise and Sunset page.
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Brown Bear Golden Female at Sunset X3205 M
A golden female Coastal Brown Bear wading in Silver Salmon Creek at sunset.
The Alaskan Brown Bear: Golden Female and Cubs subsection is devoted to this golden sow.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear Brown Bear Composites
Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear Black Bear Cubs Brown Bear
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Assorted Bears: Sunrise and Sunset page.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear Fishing subsection.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Brown Bear Golden Female and Cubs subsection.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Alaskan Wildlife section.
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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Yellowstone Black Bears subsection.
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