Quite the gorgeous view of the mountains in Katmai National Park as seen from the mudflats.
Archive for the May Category
More clamming bears in May
Posted in May with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bears, Katmai, Katmai National Park, wildlife on May 21, 2010 by grizzlybearblogSmelling for clams
Posted in Grizzly Bears Clamming, May with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzlies, grizzly bear, grizzly bears, wildlife on May 20, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
Grizzly Bears use their noses to smell for clams under the sand. Once they smell a clam, they will quickly jam their paws into the sand to scoop up the clam. This is an impressive act, considering clams can move several inches per second under the sand.
To learn more about the grizzly bear’s nose visit www.grizzlybay.org
Grizzly Bear Mating in May
Posted in Alaska, May with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bear, grizzly bears, nature, wildlife on May 18, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
Eventually, a blond female caught the eye of the clamming male (from the previous post). May marks the beginning of grizzly bear mating season - a time when male bears can be seen lumbering after female bears that may make for potential mates. She didn’t seem so interested, and scampered on down the beach trying to avoid him.
Spring Clamming
Posted in Alaska, May with tags animals, Bear Viewing, bears, grizzly bears, wildlife on May 17, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
Clamming becomes a great source of protein for grizzly bears during the spring. The high protein sedge grass that grows along the coast doesn’t begin to green up until June, so bears are often seen clamming on the flats. This medium sized male bear was having quite a lot of success.
By July, the mountains you can see in the background will be a lush, carpeting of green. In the following photo you can see a few tourists who are out on the mud flats with the bears watching them clam. Safely observing grizzlies on the ground occurs in Katmai National Park from May – Sept.
To learn more about bear viewing in Alaska visit GrizzlyBay.org
Bears in May
Posted in May with tags Alaska, animals, bears, grizzly bears, Spring, wildlife on May 17, 2010 by grizzlybearblog
May in Alaska looks pretty bleak compared to the “lower 48″ which is already bursting in green. The real torturous thing about an Alaskan winter is that it never, ever, seems to end….By late May, you are gazing at dead, brown grass and the hints of buds on trees, wondering when will it ever green up? Spring really doesn’t get going until mid to late June.
I took this photo mid- May 2009 in Katmai N. Park. It really shows how dead the landscape looks, although it is great camouflage for the blond colored bears that are so common on the Katmai coast. These female bears were having loads of fun wrestling in the berm on the beach.
