We took a VERY small plane from Homer to Katmai National Park to see the coastal brown bears. What a wonderful, exciting, nerve wracking experience. If not for the plane ride this was my favorite activity we did. I could have done without the small plane. Thank goodness the weather was beautiful and we had a fairly smooth ride.

Late May to early July is the mating season for the Coastal brown bears and they were into full force. This male chased this female all over the place. He did finally win but she put up a good fight. Coastal brown bears grow up to 1500lbs. They gain up to 400lbs in the summer to hold them over for the winter. These bears were eating grass and clams waiting for the salmon to come. They are usually solitary unless there is a good food source. There were probably 15-20 bears around the area we were in. We just missed the salmon run. It had started but had not reached where we were yet.

It was amazing watching these beautiful huge animals interact. We did not seem to bother them at all. These two came with in 20 feet of us as they chased eachother. Our guide said sometimes the female bears will come by the people in hopes they will protect them because the males don't really like to go near people at all.

Best if viewed large on black.
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Tags:   Alaska 2012 Coastal Brown Bears Katmai National Park bears grizzly run chase K Bay Air Happy Photographer Nikon D300 All of Natures Wildlife Level_1 All of Natures Wildlife Level_2 Getty Images Getty

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Mount McKinley aka Denali. With an elevation of 20,300 feet above sea level it is the highest mountain peak in North America. It's name means "The High One" They say only 30% of visitors get to see the mountain at all. According to our bus driver we were the first tour group this year to get to see all of it. This picture dosn't show, nor can I describe how awe-insipring this mountain is.
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My husband and I spent several hours at Tern Lake attempting to get these incredible birds. Then the very last day of our trip we had to wait for an evening flight. Not sure what to do, to tired and in pain from hiking we decided to go to Potters Marsh just outside Anchorage. That is a very cool place. If ever in Anchorage you should go. We found this one chick that let us photograph him and his parents to our hearts delight. We spent most of the day photographing him and some gull babies.

Artic terns are known to have the longest migration of all birds. They travel 25,000 miles each year. They live to about 34 years and do not even begin to breed until age 3-4. I read most of them return to breed in the same area where they hatched, often to the same colony. They nest on the ground. They have 1-3 eggs. Chicks can be brown or grey and have many spots. The chicks will flege in 21-24 days and begin tp migrate with their parents right away.

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I love every bear picture I took on our trip, many much better then this one. However, this is one of my top favorites . The reason I love it so, is not only are there two bears, but there is a wolf on the ledge over looking his land. . As we were standing there stunned at what was unfolding before us (even our guide said later he has never seen anything like this) the wolf begin the howl. Chills when up and down my spine. There was no fear just pure awe in nature and it incredible beauty. After a few minutes of stunned silence we realized we could be the reason the wolf was howling and left. Later while watching the two bears in this picture chasing eachother (picture posted earlier) My husband turned around and the wolf (not sure same one) was following us. He kept his distance and would walk when we walked and then lay down when we stopped. Just amazing. .
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This poor girl was getting really tired of this male chasing her all over the place and finally started fighting back. I wish you could hear all the growling and grunting they were making while fighting. This happened right after the chase picture I posted earier and they were not very far away from us.
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Tags:   Coastal brown bears grizzly bear fight Alaska Katmai National Park adventure Happy Photographer Nikon D300 All of Natures Wildlife Level_1 All of Natures Wildlife Level_2 All of Natures Wildlife Level_3 All of Natures Wildlife Level_4 All of Natures Wildlife Level_5 All of Natures Wildlife Level_6 Getty Images Getty

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