More Brooks Camp

Sockeye Salmon

Well, I’ve already introduced you to Brooks Camp and some of its most notable residents, including the massive Bear #747 … 

A former "Fat Bear" champion

The feisty Grazer …

One of Brooks' most popular Bears

… and her two two-year-old cubs …

Playing in the Falls

I even showed you the unknown and hapless Bear that made the mistake of walking into Grazer’s territory …

A tense encounter

No, he wasn’t hurt, just a bit chastened …

Leaving the scene

But, I also told you that I saw 13 Bears (thereabouts, sometimes they are hard to tell apart). So where were the others?

The woods, the beach, the River and the Falls

Well, you can see Bears anywhere in Brooks Camp, so I’ll just briefly cover each area.

The Falls

Not sure of his name or number

Obviously, Brooks Falls is the prime viewing site because of the large congregations of Bears that come to feed on Salmon, when they are running. When we were there, the Salmon were just starting to arrive, so there weren’t a lot of visitors: just #747, Grazer and the kids, Grazer’s opponent and one other Bear that appeared briefly. 

He came down the steep opposite bank, which is a common route for Bears to take to the Falls ...

Coming down the bank

He then perused the Falls …

Checking it out

… made a few half-hearted attempts to fish for the non-existent Salmon …

No luck

… and moved quickly on …

Oh, well, maybe next time

Scott had gone to the toilet (a quarter-mile hike) and never even saw him.

In addition to the Bears, of course, the Brooks River and its resident fish, which include Sockeye Salmon as well as Rainbow Trout and Arctic Char, attract other critters looking for a meal. Sometimes they hunt on their own …

Mergansers swim rapidly with their heads underwater to catch fish

… and, often, they patrol for scraps from the Bears …

Bald Eagle fly-by

Among the Falls menagerie were Red-breasted Mergansers …

This was the first breeding adults I have seen

... a couple of Harlequin Ducks looking for fish in the River …

We saw them just one time

… the usual contingent of Glaucous-winged Gulls …

They sit on rocks and the edge of the Falls waiting and waiting

Taking advantage of a sunny day

… and, a number of Greater Yellowlegs patrolling the shore.

While watching the Bears, we saw a couple of Alaska’s iconic bird, the Bald Eagle. 

These are patient (or, maybe, lazy) raptors, sitting in the tree watching the action until they fly off to another perch ...

Not easily distracted

We never saw one try to fish or steal a fish. But, they were always waiting …

Perched above the Falls

In fact, the only kleptoparasitic behavior I observed was a Glaucous-winged Gull stealing a fish from a Common Merganser and then dropping as it flew off.

I guess she was fed up with being harassed and robbed

The Woods

Often, one sees Bears along the trail and boardwalk in the woods between the mouth of the River and the Falls. This time, besides the encounter with #747 …

Our first on-trail encounter

… and the time I spent with the Grazer clan …

Exploring the hillside

… I saw only one other Bear in the woods …

Was this one we knew or a new Bear?

And, I didn’t see much in the way of birds, except a Black-billed Magpie that had some kind of beef with (or hunger for) a plucky little Red Squirrel that was giving it back as good as he could … 

Looks scary

The Mouth of the River

The Brooks River empties into Naknek Lake right at the edge of Brooks Camp. 

Two Bears at the mouth of the River

A raised boardwalk with multiple viewing areas spans the River and often provides great viewing opportunities – without the long walk to the Falls.

The boardwalk

Sometimes you see Bears really close …

This beauty was right below us (we almost missed it)

… and sometimes you have to look pretty hard to see if any Bears are skulking about, whether they’re in the tall grass …

In the grass by the lake

… or chest-deep in the water …

Bears are good swimmers and good waders

On past visits, I’ve even seen Bears chowing down on Salmon while standing in the River …

This was in 2021

In addition to watching the very entertaining Bears ...

Bears can be amusing

… the mouth of the River is a great place for observing birds (albeit the same ones I usually see at the Falls). This time, I saw an Osprey …

Soaring above

… more Greater Yellowlegs …

A pretty scene by the shore

… Wilson’s Warblers and Canada Jays …

We didn't see many songbirds

But, the most fun was the Common Mergansers because I finally got to see something I had long been looking for: a mama Merganser giving her ducklings a ride on her back …

Such a cool thing to see

The mouth of the River was teeming with Common Mergansers, almost all of them female or young. And, boy, do they have lots of young.

That's a big brood

Big broods are typical for these birds for a couple of reasons. One is that Mergansers often lay some eggs of their own and then lay more eggs in another bird’s nest. So, all the members of this big family might not actually belong to the matriarch. This behavior is probably a “reproductive insurance policy” that protects the genetic line if a predator wipes out a nest. In other words, they don’t put all their eggs in one basket.

So cute

The incubation limit is about 20 eggs, but it’s also common for mother ducks to pick up ducklings that have become separated from their own mothers. Adult ducks can't tell which birds are theirs and lost young birds that have already imprinted on their own mothers will instinctively start following another Common Merganser because she looks like mom.

Are you my mama? 

Mother Mergansers tend their ducklings for a couple of weeks until the little birds are big enough to defend themselves. They are capable of flight about 65-70 days after hatching.

There were very young ducklings and slightly older ones

Common Merganser eat mostly fish, but will also consume mussels, shrimp, salamanders and, rarely, plant material. Adult males may swallow fish more than a foot long. Ducklings eat mostly aquatic insects. 

Apparently, Bears could care less about ducks. Bears live in harmony with the Mergansers both at the Falls and the mouth of the River. 

Close proximity

Brooks Camp

It is also not unusual to see Bears in Brooks Camp proper, walking down the trails or hanging out on the beach ...

This is Bear #909 with her year-old cub

It is much more difficult, however, to photograph them there because, without protected boardwalks to separate tourists from Bears, the Park Rangers will restrict your movement or close off areas with Bear activity. This makes sense from a safety perspective, but it is frustrating to see a gorgeous bruin and not be able to snap a photo.

This is what I could capture in Camp

It’s also frustrating for pilots who have to hold off on take-offs or arrivals when Bears are on the beach.

Bears can delay arrivals and departures

Before, I take you back to Anchorage, I have one more animal to cover. It’s the reason why we can see all these Bears: the Sockeye Salmon.

Fishing, 2013

Salmon

According to the National Park Service, 200,000 to 400,000 Salmon successfully leap Brooks Falls each year as they move upriver to their spawning site in Brooks River.

Attempting to clear the falls (this attempt failed)

When young (in the fry and smolt stage) Salmon imprint on the unique chemical signatures of the streams and lakes they are reared in and pass through on their journey to the sea. 

Brooks River

On the way home

When they are ready to breed, they follow these scents through the freshwater maze of lakes and rivers, seldom straying from the course. Almost all return to their natal stream to spawn as adults.

When Sockeye Salmon return to freshwater and approach their spawning grounds, they begin to transform. Red pigments in their flesh transfer to their skin, their bones soften, a large hump develops on their back and their jaws and teeth elongate. 

They stop feeding once they reenter freshwater, absorbing their scales and most of their body fat for nutrition. Each female swells with about 4,000 eggs.

Later in the spawning stage, 2018

It’s a difficult journey, so some Salmon stage for weeks in the lower Brooks River and Naknek Lake before moving further into the river to spawn.

Sometimes they hang out under the boardwalk for days

Females select spawning sites that have high levels of dissolved oxygen and year-round water flow that will protect the eggs from freezing. With no digging tools except her tail, the female will fan the gravel vigorously to winnow away mud and silt that would otherwise smother the eggs.

Start of the run

Females defend their nesting site from other females. Males fight with one another for access to females. By the end of the spawn, many are visibly wounded. But, they are dying anyway.

After the spawn, Sockeye Salmon begin to die, often drifting downstream. While we saw fresh healthy fish that had not yet begun to transform on this trip, I saw lots of dead and dying Salmon when I was in Brooks camp in September 2021. 

I took this in 2021; the fish was on its last legs (fins?)

Bears, Gulls and Trout that have been feeding on Salmon moving upstream in early summer also feed on dead and dying fish in early fall.

Typically, Sockeye Salmon first arrive at the mouth of the Brooks River in mid-June, but they don't start to move into the River in large numbers until late in the month. The peak of the Sockeye Salmon run is in early July. Explore.org has an underwater camera so you can watch migrating Salmon during the run. 

Birds gather for the runs, too

During their migration, the amount of Salmon moving into the Naknek River or Brooks River fluctuates dramatically. Bristol Bay commercial fishing will periodically intercept fish and outgoing tides will slow their entry in the Naknek River. 

High tide will usher in large numbers. 

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game manages the Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon fishery to ensure that enough fish are allowed to escape and run up the River to sustain the population.

Salmon runs make the River popular for fishing (even with Bears)

By the end of July, most Sockeye Salmon in the Naknek River watershed have reached their spawning site and very few fish can be seen at the falls.

Millions of eggs incubate in the River and hatch in late winter. In the spring, they leave Brooks and migrate to the ocean, where they live for three-five years before returning to Brooks to spawn, die and feed a heck of a lot of Brown Bears.

Stripping the skin, 2021

The Trip Back

What we came for

So, the visit to Brooks Camp was a resounding success. 

We had a slightly rocky start because of fog, but otherwise great with a comfy cabin, generally good weather (chilly and a few sprinkles, but lots of sunny weather as well) and a small number of Bears doing lots of really cool things.

Maybe now, Scott will be satisfied. 

He looks happy here

Well, for awhile, until the urge to photograph Bears strikes us again. For some people, a visit like this completes a bucket list check-off. For us, it just fuels a desire to return. And, I know Caty would love to go.

So, anyway, after a morning at the Falls, we had lunch and settled down in the Lodge to wait to be called to our flight. 

So much nicer than an air terminal

There were several people waiting for Katmai flights on two different airplanes. Scott requested that we return on the same plane we came on. It had the same pilot (and the same Vietnam comment: “the plane went; I didn’t”). 

Nice ride

But, this time the skies were clear and we had a lovely view heading back. Watch our trip to King Salmon here. In King Salmon, we boarded our flight back to Anchorage with no issues. Yippee!

 

Every view in Alaska is spectacular

Finally

By the way, if you want to see what is going on a Brooks Camp, go to Explore.org. 

The Bearcams are fantastic. You can see some cool stuff (and maybe the Bears I covered in these posts).

Trip date: June 16-24, 2022