An unexpected find - Brown bear

A brown bear.  Not what I thought I would find as I made my way along the trails that wind through the property I was staying at this last summer.  We were both in a state of shock and disbelief.

Every day for a week and a half I would traipse through the country paths that existed on the farm we were staying at.  It was always a pleasure.  I brought my camera and long lens with me and a second body equipped with macro equipment.  There was quite a variety of birds to photograph and a pleasing assortment of insects and other invertebrates just waiting to be digitized.

I would explore the farm once, twice, or even three times a day.  Changes in the light and activity of the creatures awaiting discovery were different each time.  Birds, deer, rodents, and a variety of diminutive finds filled my viewfinder and memory cards. Occasionally, my wanderings would yield little in the way of photographs, but the experience was always pleasant; I am always at home in nature.

It was 8 am on a cool spring morning and I started my mini-excursion in the same manner I had done now dozens of times.  As I wound my way along the path before me I could only see so far ahead; the trees prevented me from seeing what lay beyond.  Occasionally I would spook a deer (my wife came within a few meters of a startled moose later on) or cause foraging birds to remove themselves from the path I was taking.  I had never expected to come across a bear.

Bears are not that uncommon in many parts of Canada.  Being from BC, I have seen many black bears and even a few grizzlies.  I lived in Alberta for 10 years when I was much younger and had never seen a bear in all of my wanderings there.  Here, at this place and time, I came across a bear.  And not just any bear, a brown bear, a variety I had never seen before.

It turns out that the brown bear was actually a black bear, only brown.  More cinnamon really.  Apparently, black bears come in more shades than any other species of native mammal in North America.  Black bears that are black remain that colour the entire year, but brown bears may lighten up as the summer progresses.  The fact that I came across this one so early in the year could explain its dark brown shade.

I know enough about bears to give them a wide berth when coming across one.  Luckily, I had my 500 mm lens on and could get a decent shot of it.  I moved around slowly, keeping my distance, and photographed it cautiously.  When done I returned along my previous path, moving slowly and keeping an eye out behind me in case a pursuit ensued.  There was never a problem.  When I got back I printed a photo and presented it to the landowner.  She had lived there most of her life and had never seen one.  Imagine that.

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