Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Cinnamon Black Bear

Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went the last two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear. "The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a color phase of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, and British Columbia. The most striking difference between a cinnamon bear and any other black bear is its brown or red-brown fur, reminiscent of cinnamon, from which the name is derived. Cubs weigh approximately 230 grams (8 oz) at birth, with adults weighing between 92.1 and 270 kilograms (203 and 595 lb). The life span for this bear is a maximum of 30 years. Cinnamon bears are excellent climbers, good runners, and powerful swimmers. They are mostly nocturnal, though sometimes active during daylight hours. The cinnamon and brown bears of this country are simply color phases of the black bear, the blondes and brunettes of the family. The various colors are frequently intermixed in the same family; hence it is a common occurrence to see a black bear female with brown cubs, a brown and a black cub, or even all three colors. The bears hibernate during the winter months, usually from late October or November to March or April depending upon the weather conditions. Their scat resembles that of domestic dogs." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_bear I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close. This absolutely gorgeous adult Cinnamon Black Bear was first spotted when it was little more than a very distant speck in the meadow on the far side of a lake in Waterton Lakes National Park. We watched as it ambled along in the grass near the edge of the water, and then it climbed down into the water and started swimming. The sunlight on its fur made the cinnamon colour glow. It looked such a healthy animal. As it got that much nearer, we decided to drive further along the road and park and sit and wait. It eventually suddenly appeared, climbing over a concrete barrier on the far side of the road and, to our amazement (shock?), it calmly crossed the road at an angle, passing in between our car that had pulled over and another car. It never gave us a glance, just focusing on what it wanted to do. I didn't think I got a photo, and was surprised to find that I had pressed the shutter button. A poor photo, that I will post another time, but unexpectedly close. I was probably well zoomed in, just in case I could get a distant shot. Of course, these wonderful, wild animals are used to people, as Waterton is such a delightful and popular place to visit. However, people need to keep their distance, respect these creatures, and not do anything foolish. There is always the chance that any wildlife could be unpredictable. No photo is worth the risk of being attacked - and it is almost always the animal who ends up paying the price dearly. Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest. Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. Yesterday, Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home.

During three days away (26, 27 and 28 August 2014) with friends, Cathy and Terry, we saw so many things, including breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including this Cinnamon Black Bear that went swimming in the lake and landed much further along the shore), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, and various bird species including a family of Dusky Grouse that apparently are uncommon in the park. On the last day, before driving back to Calgary, we did a long drive east of Waterton, where we saw several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), and, perhaps the highlight of the whole trip, two (maybe three) endangered Burrowing Owls (a first for all three of us!). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Even the weather was perfect - that is, till the moment we decided that it was time to start driving back to Calgary. Around 5:00 p.m., a mesocyclone rolled in, totally engulfing our car and bringing pounding hail, maybe 3 feet visibility, and tremendously strong winds. Fortunately, we weren't caught in the very centre of the storm - can't imagine how bad that would have been! "The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a color phase of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, and British Columbia. The most striking difference between a cinnamon bear and any other black bear is its brown or red-brown fur, reminiscent of cinnamon, from which the name is derived. Cubs weigh approximately 230 grams (8 oz) at birth, with adults weighing between 92.1 and 270 kilograms (203 and 595 lb). The life span for this bear is a maximum of 30 years. Cinnamon bears are excellent climbers, good runners, and powerful swimmers. They are mostly nocturnal, though sometimes active during daylight hours. The cinnamon and brown bears of this country are simply color phases of the black bear, the blondes and brunettes of the family. The various colors are frequently intermixed in the same family; hence it is a common occurrence to see a black bear female with brown cubs, a brown and a black cub, or even all three colors. The bears hibernate during the winter months, usually from late October or November to March or April depending upon the weather conditions. Their scat resembles that of domestic dogs." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_bear "Black bears are efficient berry-eaters, consuming up to 30,000 berries a day in a good year. They gather berries quickly, using their sensitive, mobile lips and swallowing them whole. The berries enter a two-part stomach, which grinds the pulp off the seeds. The seeds pass through the digestive tract unbroken and able to germinate, making black bears important seed dispersers. Each summer, they spread the seeds of their favorite berries all over their home ranges." www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/foraging-a-foo...

The nights of 26 and 27 August 2014 were spent in Waterton with friends, Cathy and Terry. The first day we were in Waterton Lakes National Park, there was no bear sighting for us, which was a little disappointing. However, the second day was much better. As well as three bears at the lake, we had already seen our first bear of the day - this beautiful dark Cinnamon Black Bear that appeared at a picnic spot where we had just arrived and so were still sitting in the car, around 9:00 a.m.. It walked quickly past the green shelter not far from our car, and disappeared into the forest, stopping briefly to stand up and scratch its back against one of the trees (I'd never seen this happen before, except on videos). Not even a glance in our direction. This is such a poor quality photo, but I did want to post it for the record (and for my memory). We spent the first two days in Waterton Lakes National Park and the third day driving east of Waterton in search of Burrowing Owls and Yellow-bellied Marmots. During our three days away, we saw so many things. This always happens when I go anywhere with Cathy and Terry - every day is a very long, fun-filled day, full of exciting finds. During our three days away, we saw breathtaking scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including endangered Burrowing Owls (way east of Waterton, on our last day), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me, and also way east of Waterton Park!), a few different insect species, and a family of Dusky Grouse that are uncommon in the park. I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Definitely a great trip!

This was a very quick, distant photo and poor quality, unfortunately. Friends Cathy, Terry, and I, watched this cinnamon Black Bear and a black Black Bear that was in the same bushes, for quite some time. These bushes were right at the edge of a pedestrian/bike pathway on one side, and the other side of the bushes was at the lake shore. This was just one quick moment that this bear could be seen properly - the rest of the time both bears were hidden or almost hidden by the berry-laden branches. This photo was taken on 27 August 2014, the second day of a three-day trip down south. The first two days were spent in Waterton Lakes National Park and on the third day, we did quite a long drive east of the park before heading back to Calgary. "The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a color phase of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, and British Columbia. The most striking difference between a cinnamon bear and any other black bear is its brown or red-brown fur, reminiscent of cinnamon, from which the name is derived. Cubs weigh approximately 230 grams (8 oz) at birth, with adults weighing between 92.1 and 270 kilograms (203 and 595 lb). The life span for this bear is a maximum of 30 years. Cinnamon bears are excellent climbers, good runners, and powerful swimmers. They are mostly nocturnal, though sometimes active during daylight hours. The cinnamon and brown bears of this country are simply color phases of the black bear, the blondes and brunettes of the family. The various colors are frequently intermixed in the same family; hence it is a common occurrence to see a black bear female with brown cubs, a brown and a black cub, or even all three colors. The bears hibernate during the winter months, usually from late October or November to March or April depending upon the weather conditions. Their scat resembles that of domestic dogs." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_bear "Black bears are efficient berry-eaters, consuming up to 30,000 berries a day in a good year. They gather berries quickly, using their sensitive, mobile lips and swallowing them whole. The berries enter a two-part stomach, which grinds the pulp off the seeds. The seeds pass through the digestive tract unbroken and able to germinate, making black bears important seed dispersers. Each summer, they spread the seeds of their favorite berries all over their home ranges." www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/foraging-a-foo...

This was a very quick, distant photo and poor quality, unfortunately. Friends Cathy, Terry, and I, watched this Cinnamon Black Bear and a black Black Bear that was in the same bushes, for quite some time. These bushes were right at the edge of a pedestrian/bike pathway on one side, and the other side of the bushes was at the lake shore. This was just one quick glance in our direction - the rest of the time they were hidden or almost hidden by the berry-laden branches. "The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a color phase of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, and British Columbia. The most striking difference between a cinnamon bear and any other black bear is its brown or red-brown fur, reminiscent of cinnamon, from which the name is derived. Cubs weigh approximately 230 grams (8 oz) at birth, with adults weighing between 92.1 and 270 kilograms (203 and 595 lb). The life span for this bear is a maximum of 30 years. Cinnamon bears are excellent climbers, good runners, and powerful swimmers. They are mostly nocturnal, though sometimes active during daylight hours. The cinnamon and brown bears of this country are simply color phases of the black bear, the blondes and brunettes of the family. The various colors are frequently intermixed in the same family; hence it is a common occurrence to see a black bear female with brown cubs, a brown and a black cub, or even all three colors. The bears hibernate during the winter months, usually from late October or November to March or April depending upon the weather conditions. Their scat resembles that of domestic dogs." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_bear

I'm adding information that I added under the first bear photo I posted, yesterday - this will save me using my left arm and shoulder any more than necessary. May 12th was a wonderful (17 hour!) day of scenery and bears, thanks to good friends Cathy and Terry, who so kindly invited me along with them! We even spent some of the time in B.C. (British Columbia), the next province to our west, and were so lucky to see six bears in total. Our first Bear was a Black Bear that looked rather like a huge rock in the distance. The second sighting was this adult Cinnamon Bear, after which we saw an adult Black Bear. The final sighting was a beautiful family of Mum with her two cubs. One of these little ones was a black Black Bear and the other a Cinnamon Black Bear, which you don't see very often. None of the Bears approached cars, hoping for food. They quietly went about their feeding, for the most part without even lifting their eyes from the ground. The usual "thoughtless" people were there, too, getting out of their cars and approaching, so that they could get closer photos. Of course, the cubs were so cute, but all these Bears are wild and wildlife tends to be unpredictable. You really would think that people could keep this in mind and not approach, but stay safely in their cars - and give the animals plenty of space and respect. The weather was so good that day, but the sun was very harsh and played havoc with my images. However, I will pick out a few of the "better" ones and eventually post them. Thanks SO much, Cathy and Terry, for such an amazing day out - it was so much fun, and I can't thank you enough for giving me the chance to see (and photograph) these wild animals that were so busy going about their lives. Perhaps I should add that I used full zoom (32x) for my photos, lol!!! I didn't crop this particular image very much, mainly just cutting off the sides - the bear did take a close look at us briefly when it passed our car while eating grass and roots - but I will be cropping some of the others. Another thing I'll add is that I only remember ever seeing one Bear and that must have been 30 or 32 years ago!