If I Were Going...: Bear Adventure

Quite an adventure!

In addition to halibut fishing, Scott planned two other activities for this trip to Alaska, both focused on Bears.

Alaska is all about Bears

The first was a one-day fly-in/fly-out Alaska Bear-Viewing Adventure with Kenai Backcountry Adventures. We weren’t sure where we would be going, except that we would probably be in either Lake Clark or Katmai National Park.

I love traveling on small planes

Our departure was from a small airport tucked into some backroads in Nikiski, Alaska, which is just north of the town of Kenai. The day started out great when we spotted a lifer for me – an Alder Flycatcher – on the way to the airport.

The Alder Flycatcher was in an (wait for it) alder bush

When we arrived, we learned that we would be going to Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park. The same place Scott and I had stayed in 2015 where we saw great Brown Bears!

This was looking good. We met out guide, Cedar, and our fellow travelers, a couple from Georgia.

Cedar is a guide and survival instructor

On Our Way

Then, we boarded a small plane …

Boarding and taking off

… and took off toward across the Cook Inlet, heading toward Silver Salmon Creek. The views were lovely.

A bit tricky to capture through the windows

And, in no time at all, we were landing on the thin strip of beach in front of the lodge where we had stayed in 2015 …

Silver Salmon Creek, 2015

At least, this time we knew we would be landing directly on the beach. Last time, we were looking for an airstrip and were surprised when we hit the sand.

No runways here!

This time, after a smooth landing and some Bear encounters I will outline below, our pilot said good-bye and took off. We just had to hope the weather would hold because we needed a plane to get back home.

But, then, if we got stranded, I guess the worse case scenario would be bunking at the Silver Salmon Creek Lodge that we could see across the field.

There are worse places to be stranded; photo, 2015

Our First Brown Bears of the Trip

We stepped out of the plane and our adventure began immediately. I mean immediately! Two young Brown Bears – probably three-year-old-siblings – came loping down the beach to check us out ...

Approaching us

They came close …

Not cropped!!!

… so close that Scott had to “Hey Bear” them to get them to move on ...

A great start. Well, I guess some people would be scared (our fellow travelers seemed a bit unnerved), but I was sure these Bears meant no harm. They were just curious.

The sibling: a little darker and smaller

And rambunctious!

After they satisfied themselves that we were just an interesting distraction to their otherwise busy day, they turned tail (or foot) and headed out to the beach.

Tired of us and moving on

Then, they put on quite a show ...

Whoo hoo!

These two cuties (each weighing at least as much as an adult human), spent the next 15 minutes or so in an epic Bear tussle.

I call it "tussling" because it's not really fighting

This included running …

Chase!

… posturing …

Much of the time Bears fight is actually just posturing

… mock fighting …

A great vantage point for some fun Bear behavior

… and generally playing around …

Lots of energy

So, what was going on?

Bear cubs (even fairly large subadults like these two) are notoriously playful.

Practice time!

For good reason.

Generally, adult Brown Bears communicate dominance by intimidating their opponents instead of actually fighting. They don't fight unless it's absolutely necessary or unless the aggressor is significantly larger and stronger than the target. That's because fight risks injury, and that is never the Bear's objective.

Much of this is about posturing. But, sometimes Bears do need to protect themselves, their territory, their right to mate or their cubs. And, that's not not totally instinctual.

Play fighting teaches young Bears how to protect themselves and helps them get stronger. So, from the time they are born, they spend significant time wrestling with and chasing their siblings (or their mom if they have no siblings). This prepares them for the very difficult life they will face in the wild.

Some fighting is low down …

Circling each other

Some involves standing upright on their hind legs …

They are about five to six feet tall when standing (up to eight feet when fully grown)

Bears also chase each other to build the speed and agility that they will need to take down prey later on in life ...

Learning valuable skills

What is interesting about this play fighting and posturing is that the Bears do not hurt each other. It has a completely different feel than a serious confrontation between “enemy” Bears like we saw a month earlier in Yellowstone.

More gentle than it looks

It’s all obviously just a game. Now, of course, if they tried to “play” with us, the results might be quite different. They have big teeth, sharp claws and significant muscles (that hump is muscles that power their front legs) …

Lots of strength in those front legs for fighting and digging

… but they also have thick hides and good moves …

No injuries here

So, it’s better to watch (at a safe distance) …

Fun to watch

… than to play …

Just having fun

You can watch it here …

On the Beach

But these little guys eventually got tired ...

Tuckered out

Or, maybe they sensed (before we did) that another Brown Bear – this one a full-on-adult – was approaching ...

Bear #3!

While it glanced our way (and toward the watching youngsters), it didn't stop as it walked briskly down the beach ...

And, carrying on with his/her business

And, what is the "business" on the beach? When the salmon are running the Bears come to the mouth of small streams as they empty into the inlet and catch the fish as they try to swim upstream.

Fishing Silver Salmon Creek, 2015

But, this time, the salmon hadn't come in yet. So, the Bears occupy themselves by digging up and eating clams.

Digging up some tasty morsels (with an interested Gull)

I mentioned that they have strong arms for fighting and digging. A lot of Brown Bears' time is spend digging up prey – Clams, Gophers, roots, Voles, bulbs and any number of plants and animals that live under ground.

Where we were

Don't be surprised by the beached boat in the photo.

Cook Inlet, the long arm of water between Alaska's "mainland" and the top of the Aleutian chain where Lake Clark and Katmai sit has extremely dramatic tides. An average differential between low and high tide is about 25 feet, but it can be much greater.

So the boat may be sitting in the mud, but in a few hours, it will be floating again. By then, the Bears will move and the people can get back onboard.

Right now, that Bear is close

At one point, there were five different Bears strung out along the beach, digging up clams. So, it's a popular occupation.

Our little group of five (including Cedar) was respectful of the Bears, keeping a safe distance so as not to disturb them and to keep ourselves safe. The beach we were on, while flanking a commercial lodge, is part of Lake Clark National Park and, as such, is under the rules of the Park. And the rules state that you cannot approach a Bear closer than 100 yards.

Give them their space

Coming toward us

Yes, we were much, much closer than that when we first arrived. But, those Bears approached us. We did not approach them. And, we were careful to make sure they knew we were there, not to frighten them and to let them go on their way,

I mention all this because there was another tour group that got terribly close to the Bears on the beach. They approached too close, often behind the Bears (because it's always a good idea to startle a 100+ lb. creature with teeth and claws).

And, they let a child get too close!

We (and especially Cedar) were shocked to see such behavior. Luckily no one got hurt (because these Bears were quite chill).

The Bears were annoyed, but not threatening

But, it is stupidity like this that can ruin Bear viewing for everyone.

On the beach

After watching for awhile, we decided maybe it was time to give the Bears on the beach a little break and to see what we could see in the wide meadow that sits between the beach and the mountains.

We stopped and ate a quick lunch on the beach where it is safest because tides wash away food odors.

Then, we turned our attention elsewhere.

And, coincidentally, some of the Bears had the same thought because they left the beach and headed for the field, too.

Walking up the shore

Field and Flowers

On the hill between the beach and the field were some beautiful purple Alaskan lupine (AKA Nootka).

Bear in the flowers

We even got a little birding in ...

Savannah Sparrow in the lupine

And, then, over the hill, a lush, lush field of dense green and gold sedge grass ...

A big feeding area for Brown Bears

... populated by three, then four, and then five Brown Bears ...

Yum!

We kidded Cedar that she had the easiest job on Earth. This day, she didn't need to find Bears for us. She just had to tell us which way to look ...

Well, she didn't really even have to tell us where to look

The Bears in the field were eating sedge grass stalks, a spiky, wide, stiff grass that contains up to 25 percent protein.

Eating protein-rich spring grasses

This rich grass is a favorite food of Brown Bears when they emerge from their winter semi-hibernation. In the spring, grass is about 70 percent of their diet. Over the summer, they start eating more berries until the Salmon arrive. After that, they stuff themselves with Salmon.

Summer calories sustain Bears year-round

Salmon are a high calorie meal for a bear. A Sockeye Salmon contains about 4,500 calories, but the fattiest parts of the fish contain proportionally more calories. Bears know this and will eat just the skin, brain and eggs when fish are abundant.

This is especially true by the fall, when the Bears are fat because their caloric "profit margin" is so high that they can "afford" to be selective. This good energy economics is called "high-grading."

Don't worry about the discarded parts. There are plenty of Foxes, Seabirds and Bald Eagles to scoop them up.

Bear eating a Salmon at Brooks Camp, 2021

When Salmon are not abundant or hard to catch, the Bears are not as picky and will most often eat the whole fish. You see this more often early in the season when they are lean from their winter's fast.

I was surprised how fat these bears were for so early in the season

Eating like this, mature bears gain 30 or 40 percent of their body weight during the summer and may put on several pounds of weight every day. At mid-summer a mature female Brown Bear weighs between 250 and 600 lbs. A mature male can weigh anywhere from 600 to well over 1,000 lbs.

Large, but this one will be much larger by October

Different Bears have different eating styles. My favorite is the Bears that flatten themselves on the ground (called a "sploot") and alternately eat and nap.