In the Field

The Good Mom - Watching Over. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. June 15, 2024.

I captured this image of a mother Grizzly Bear watching over one of its 3 cubs while they were clamming on a tidal mud flat. This particular female was a particularly "good" mom and was almost continuously on the lookout for anything that might endanger her cubs.

What danger could potentially threaten her cubs? Wolves? Possibly - within the Great Bear Rainforest wolves definitely will go after, kill, and consume small bears when they get the chance (and when they are hungry enough to risk injury in attacking a bear). But the bigger threat to cubs comes from adult and sub-adult male grizzlies - some of them WILL go after cubs and kill them (and consume them). They do this partly for the protein, but a bigger factor is that if a male grizzly can kill all of a female's cubs in the spring she can come back into estrus quite rapidly, and that same male may end up breeding with and impregnating that female and thus propagate his own genes. So for some males, it becomes a double-win - not only has he ensured his own genes will continue on, but he has also severed at least some of the genetic legacy of another male grizzly!

Sadly, during one of my "Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen" photo tours in the late spring of 2024 we did observe a male grizzly attempt to "de-cub" a female grizzly several times, and he was successful in killing at least one cub (a gruesome event that we did observe ourselves). On a more positive note, the female grizzly pictured here seemed to get through the entire spring of 2024 with all 3 of her cubs "intact". She was a good (and very vigilant) mom!

One technical comment about this image is worth mentioning. I captured this image using a Nikon Z 9 paired with a Nikkor Z 600mm f6.3S (PF) lens. I've talked to a lot of wildlife photographers about this lens and several of them like the "idea" of this lens but feel it's a little over-priced. After using it extensively in the field in the spring and summer of 2024 (and after testing it very thoroughly against a number other 600mm lenses) I'm not sure I agree. In my view the Z 600mm f6.3S is just a great lens - optically it's very strong (and, in my opinion, has the best bokeh of any of the PF lenses) and it is just so easy to handle - and hand-hold - in a field setting. Additionally, its AF is very fast...and it pairs up very well with the Z TC-1.4x. Yes, it would be great if the lens had a wider aperture and was even lighter and smaller...but...dream on, this is the real world! 😉

Here's a larger version (4800 pixel) of this Good Mom watching over one of her cubs:

• The Good Mom - Watching Over: Download 4800 pixel image (JPEG: 6.6 MB)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

1. These images - in all resolutions - are protected by copyright. I'm fine with personal uses of them (including use as desktop backgrounds or screensavers on your own computer), but unauthorized commercial use of the image is prohibited by law. Thanks in advance for respecting my copyright!

2. Like all photographs on this website, these images were captured following the strict ethical guidelines described in The Wildlife FIRST! Principles of Photographer Conduct. As such, no baiting or any form of attractant was used and, as always, we attempted to minimize our impact on the ongoing behaviour of the subjects. I strongly encourage all wildlife photographers to always put the welfare of their subjects above the value of their photographs.

3. This image was captured during my Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen Instructional Photo Tour in June of 2024. Each year I offer trips into the Great Bear Rainforest as well as tours into the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary (to photograph grizzlies, of course!). Details about these trips can be found on the Photo Tours page of this website.

Behind the Camera

The Good Mom - Watching Over. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. June 15, 2024.

High Efficiency* Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 1400.

Nikon Z9 paired with Z Nikkor 600mm f6.3S. Hand-held from a floating Zodiac inflatable boat. VR on in Sport mode. 3D-tracking AF area mode with subject detection set to "Animal" mode.

1/1000s @ f6.3; No compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

The Good Mom - Watching Over. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. June 15, 2024.

Initial noise reduction and capture sharpening on the .nef (raw) file using the DeepPRIME XD2S algorithm of DXO PhotoLab 8.1 Elite (using the appropriate lens/camera optical module).

Subsequent adjustments to the adjusted linear DNG file (exported from PhotoLab) and conversion to 16-bit TIFF file (and JPEG files for web use) - including all global and selective adjustments - made using Phase One's Capture One Pro (build 16.4.6). In the case of this image the only global adjustments were an overall contrast tweak (using the Levels tool) and a slight reduction in highlights. Selective local adjustments performed using Capture One Pro's layers and masking tools. In this case numerous small adjustments and minor tweaks were made on 4 separate layers, with most of the tweaks being associated with "exposure balancing" and contrast adjustments (such as adjustments to clarity, highlights, shadows, etc.).

Photoshop modifications included insertion of the watermark and/or text.

Conservation

The Good Mom - Watching Over. Khutzeymateen Estuary, British Columbia, Canada. June 15, 2024.

Species Status in Canada*: Special Concern (May 2002).

While Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) are not technically listed as "Endangered" in Canada, they have been extirpated from most of their historical range. Grizzly Bears are far more sensitive to intrusion/disturbance in their habitat than are Black Bears and are being increasingly forced into marginal habitat by human encroachment. The Great Bear Rainforest along the central and northern coast of British Columbia is one of the last strongholds of the Grizzly Bear in Canada, and even this population is coming under increasing pressure.

On December 18, 2017 the government of British Columbia banned grizzly hunting across the entire province. This major conservation victory came after decades of tireless work by many dedicated conservationists and ecologists and, most importantly, it reflects the opinion of the vast majority of British Columbians. And, it means that AT LEAST while the current government remains in power grizzlies are finally "safe" in British Columbia.

Now that we've at least temporarily won the battle to save grizzlies in BC, it's time to re-focus our efforts toward protecting ALL of BC's carnivores, including Gray Wolves, Black Bears, Cougars, Wolverines, and more! Simply put, there are no ecological, economic, or ethical arguments supporting the trophy hunting of carnivores.

*as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada