Black Bears
BearHead Photography has many images to showcase his expansive portfolio on mammals of North America, and these are his wild Black Bear photos. BearHead Photography specializes in bear photos.
Resting
Black bear cubs are such amazing climbers. Not only that but they are completely comfortable in a tree and act as if they aren’t even off the ground and could fall. After walking pretty far out onto this branch, this cub found a good spot for it to lay down and rest.
Going All Out
When this bear made up its mind on a fish it saw and thought it could catch, it went all out. It would completely lay out and go horizontal with the river. Here it is a split second away from going in the river and catching its fish.
Hanging Out
Sometimes I wish I could be a cub and just hang out. I know being a bear cub is not easy and living in nature is difficult. But when you see a cub in a tree hanging over limbs without a care in the world for that moment, it would be nice to also not have a care in the world.
Caramel Bear
Black bears can have fur in many different colors, all the way from black to white. I have seen many different colors of black bears over the years, but this bear had a beautiful unique caramel color to his fur!
A Bear's Range
Black bears tend to spend the majority of their days in the woods. It's really difficult to find a scene with a black bear where there isn't mostly woods in the picture. It was a real treat watching this bear as it moved by the lake with the mountains surrounding the valley!
Standing Heart
Black bear cubs are very small when first born. It can be very difficult for them to even see over the grass. So when they need to get a better look at anything they have to stand. This cub had the marking of a heart on its chest when it stood.
Rainforest Gathering
Salmon run in hundreds of rivers across Alaska and through many different terrains. Black and brown bears head to the rivers while they are running to fatten up for the winter. Black bears are more shy than brown bears and typically avoid other bears. But when the run is so good and so many fish around, they will tolerate other bears presence for a little while.
Surprise Dive
It was awesome seeing this bear go for these salmon. As it was coming down the hill it noticed the salmon close to the shore. Once it saw this it sprinted down the hill and didn’t stop until it dove into the water. The salmon had no idea it was coming and it easily caught a fish.
Walking Above
A downed tree can make it much easier for bears and other animals to get places. When a larger tree falls over the river, it is particularly nice for the animals because they don’t have to swim to get across. I saw numerous bears cross the log and even saw some jump from it going after salmon.
Flower Cub
Black bear cubs have to depend on their mother to know where to go because they are so small. This cub was hardly taller than the new flowers that were starting to sprout.
Wilderness Bear
Black bears stick mostly to the forests for their food. It is not often they are seen out in the open foraging for food. This bear was eating on the edge of the woods, and I had just enough of an opening to capture the mountains behind him.
Look Away
Running across a black bear this big in the woods is not a fun experience. Most of the time black bears run away from grizzlies, but I wouldn't be surprised if this black bear has scared many grizzlies. With a look like this, I wouldn't want to look it in the eyes.
Sleepy Tree
Believe it or not, bear cubs do eventually tun out of energy. They re so fun to watch run around and be rambunctious. But eventually that gives way to being tired and nap time. This cub found a really good spot on a branch under the moss.
Sharing the River
When the salmon run in Alaska, any animal that eats meat move to a river. The availability of food is too good to pass up. The bald eagles will wait on the bears to catch the fish and then the eagles will come in and finish off the scraps.
Branch Rest
Food in the spring can be sparse, so bears will eat a variety of things to get their fill. Cubs learn from their mother what they can and cannot eat by watching her. This cub was tired of eating and found some nice branches to rest in to wait on its mom to be done eating.
River Watching
When this bear showed up where it did, it surprised me. I didn’t think a bear could get to this rock without swimming to it. But this bear knew a way to it and was able to also surprise some fish by where it was hunting them from.
Swimming Away
Salmon are a smart fish. They are able to find there way back to the river they were born in after years of being out to sea. This smartness also means that they know how to get away from predators. As the black bear swam out to the salmon, they just kept going further and further away from it.
Deep Look
Anytime I see a large male black bear I get excited. The large ones don’t come out often where I can photograph them. This guy was eating along the edge of the woods and just briefly looked up to see if any other bears were around. It was neat to see him close up and really get to see this look when he lifted his head.
Mountain Walk
When I first saw this bear I was surprised to see where it was, but then I got excited because I knew I could get some different shots. He was on a mission and not slowing down, so I had to think fast. I lost sight of him for a while, but my patience paid off when he walked over the hill and in front of the mountains!
Rainbow Shake
I’ve seen so many bears shake off from being wet that I’ve lost count. Is it begun to shake a saw a little color, and as it fully shook off a full rainbow appeared. It was incredible seeing a rainbow in this bears water that it was shaking off!
Twilight
Bears become very active as the sun goes down. They like the night because it is much cooler and they can move around more. With just a few minutes of light left this bear passed close to me and I tried to get low to capture the mountain in the background.
Black Light
Black bears are a difficult animal to photograph because of how dark their fur is. There are only a few types of light that work well with black bears, and those are usually short periods of the day. Catching this large male in the evening light out of the forest was spectacular.
Full Extension
If I were a bear I would jump in after fish too. The river can be so full of salmon at times that it feels like you could walk across them. Even when it is that full of fish it is still hard for black bears to catch them. They are slippery and smart. This bear was going all out in its attempt to catch a salmon.
Peering Out
Spring cubs are so much fun to photograph each spring. They are new to the world and curious about so much of it. Mother bear had wandered a little far away from these guys, and they took the tree as comfort in case they got scared and could run up the tree.
Dark Cinnamon
Black bears are not always black. Their fur color can vary greatly, and this female had a beautiful dark cinnamon color of fur.
Soft Eyes
As mother bear was off fishing, this cub was sitting near the waters edge on a rock. It seemed uncomfortable and not sure if to sit there or run for a tree. As it looked around it had a very soft look to it.
Totally Chill
Black bear cubs make climbing trees look easy. They go up and down and from branch to branch with little effort and little fear. This cub was completely comfortable hanging out in the tree and waiting for its mother to return.
Patience
Most people know of brown bears in rivers in Alaska fishing. But black bears do it too, and are pretty good at it. Bears like to congregate at little waterfalls where the fish pile up before moving upstream. These bears were patiently waiting for a fish to come close enough to catch in different fishing holes.
Tree Hiding
I search many hours looking for bears, and particularly bear cubs. Shortly after I found this bear, it wasn't really sure of what I was and stood and peered from behind a tree to look at me.
Standing Behind Mom
Young bears will depend on their mom for protection. They don’t like to get too far from their mom in case they need her to protect them. As a bear walked beneath this family, one cub hid behind mom to make sure everything was ok.
Focused
When the salmon are running there is no time to be messing around. When the fish are in the river bears have to take every opportunity they can to catch the fish. As this bear walked the rocks along the shore it was very focused and on a mission to eat.
Looking Up
As mother bear was fishing, this cub was looking around at its new home. There was so much to learn about the area to bother with salmon. A bald eagle caught this cubs attention and it sat close by mother for her protection and watched the eagle.
Rainforest Walking
Rainforests are beautiful, but they can be a hard place to photograph because the plants are so tall. Fallen logs offer an opening to see animals, and it was neat to see this mom and cub walk on the log together.
Valley Look
Black bears spend most of their time in the forest and not in open areas. This black bear was right on the edge of the woods, but hard to see. Finally he moved a little farther out and got just far away from the trees to be able to photograph him with the mountains behind him.
Resting Tree
Black bears can climb trees their whole life. Grizzly bears can as well, but their claws are very different and they have to use their arms to climb the tree instead of their paws. This black bear just wanted to take a nap and climbed up and found a comfortable branch for an afternoon snooze.
Wide Walk
I know black bears can be large, but I usually don’t see the very big bears. So when I saw this guy and how wide he was I instantly knew he was one of the largest black bears I had ever seen.
Rock Jump
I’m used to seeing grizzly bears jump and dive for salmon, but not black bears. This bear was not a typical black bear though, and enjoyed going all out for fish. Here he jumps from a rock just above the water and lays completely out for the salmon.
Which One?
Bears wait all summer for the fish to arrive. It is such a great source of food for them, and they get excited when the fish come. This black bear was standing on a rock looking at the fish, and there were so many it almost looked like he could’t decided which one he wanted.
Caramel Look
In the forest a black bear can be hard to find as it blends in well with the shadows of the forest. This black bear that was a bright caramel colored, stood out as he made his way through the forest.
Sunny River
Being in a rainforest I didn’t expect to see the sun very much. When it did come out it really lit up the river and brought everything to life. This black bear was busy walking up and down the river trying to catch salmon on this beautiful day.
Forest Monster
Black bears spend most of their time in the woods. I can't really go searching in the woods for them, because that is not safe. I saw this large bear coming through the trees and was excited he came out and walked along the edge of the woods so that I could get photos of him.
Looking Over
These cubs were following behind mom when a loud noise startled them. The black cub couldn’t see over its sibling, so it stood to see what had caused the noise.
Standing Argument
Black bears tend to stay away from other bears and usually run instead of fight. Fighting is dangerous because if it gets hurt then it might not be able to fatten up for the winter. These two bears were both tired of the other being around and finally fought each other.
River Gathering
Black bears are usually very solitary animals, but during a salmon run they will tolerate each others presence. Majority of the time there were never more than three bears in the same area. On this afternoon, though, for a short time there were 5 black bears all in a small area hoping to catch a salmon.
Mountain Living
Catching this black bear moving from forest to forest was some great timing. He didn't stop but for a couple seconds as he passed through the field, and then disappeared back into the thick forest again.
Gentle
Mother bear went off to fish for salmon and left her cub in the rocks. The cub emerged at some point and looked scared and started calling to its mother. When she heard the call she came running and let the cub know everything was good.
Hideout
After a long nap this cub awoke to being alone. It wasn’t sure where its sibling or mother were and didn’t know where to go. It looked around for them from the safety of the tree and finally found them together down by the waters edge.
A Nervous Look
Black bears are a fairly skittish bear. Even when there is lots of fish around they don’t really congregate but stay to themselves. As this bear was looking for fish a bear above it on the hillside started coming down to the river and it made this bear nervous.
Waiting Together
In the area I took this photo the brush was extremely high. I couldn’t even see their mom because of how tall the brush was. But these two young black bear cubs stood out in the tree as they tried to get a better view of the area.
Hanging Tight
All black bears can climb trees with ease. A small black bear can even climb to the tops of trees without worrying about the branches breaking. This little bear cub was almost at the top of the tree watching its mother eat down below.
Young Cinnamons
Black bears can come in different colors. It is not rare to see black bears be a cinnamon color, as it is just a gene that causes them to not be black. These two cubs were a different shade of cinnamon, and they really stood out in the forest.
Acorn Searching
During the fall, nuts and acorns are a black bears favorite food item. They often scavenge them from the ground, but they will climb to find more acorns. This younger bear had climbed to the top of this tree in search of more acorns.
Family Tree
After standing at the base of the tree and calling to her cubs, with no success, she went up. The cubs seemed to know they were in trouble and moved further up. Mom went as far up as she wanted and let them know it was time to come down. It was neat seeing her climb the tree and be in the tree with her cubs.
Balancing Rock
After wandering from there mother, they found this nice big rock to sit on and wait for her to come back from fishing for salmon.
Back Scratcher
Black bears will mark trees to let other bears in the area know they are around, and to mark their territory. They do this marking a lot in the spring during the mating season. This bear grabbed the tree as it stood, and it looked as if he was scratching his back like a human in the shower.
Racing Up
While mother was trying to rest, her cubs were running around continuously. Young cubs are very playful and have plenty of energy. As another bear began to approach the family, mother woke up and the cubs ran up the tree as fast as they could.
Family Color
Black bears can come in different colors. Just because the mother bear is black, doesn't mean the cubs will be. It is a type of gene that creates the color of the bear. Both these new cubs happened to get the cinnamon gene, and were a different color than their mother.
Balancing Act
I was fortunate to get to watch a couple of cubs in this tree on a few occasions. It was always so fun to watch them and see what they would do next. After sitting normal for a while, this cub put its legs on other sides of the branch and balanced on the limb.
Waterfall Fishing
One of my favorite times of the year is the salmon run in Alaska. Seeing and photographing the bears catching salmon is a very cool experience. All bears seem to have different strategies when it comes to catching fish. This waterfall presented an obstacle fish couldn’t get up, so they would pile up in this pool. This bear knew it was only a matter of time before it would catch a salmon in this pool.
Mossy Walk
I loved being in a rainforest and photographing bears. The scenery was so different than just a normal forest. The moss covered rocks and how green everything was really brought the landscape to life. I was always on the lookout for a bear moving up stream, and captured this bear as it was walking the shoreline looking for fish.
Peeking Through
I had seen this bear earlier in the day, but then he went in the woods and disappeared. Later in the day I went to look for him, but was just about to give up when I noticed a darker area between the trees. There is no telling how long he had been sitting there watching me. I thought it was neat he was sitting there peeking through the trees without anyone knowing he was there.
River Looking
Fishing is not easy for bears, even for this huge black bear. He obviously has eaten plenty of fish over his time, but that doesn’t mean it was easy for him. On this day I saw him deploy numerous strategies trying to catch fish, and and came up empty each time. Here he looks over the river almost in amazement that he hadn’t caught anything yet.
My Tree
These little black bear cubs were extremely playful. They all enjoyed playing and playing together. A noise in the woods startled them while playing and they all ran up the closest tree they could find.
Evening Stroll
This bear was on the move looking for a mate in the spring. I don't even know how many miles he walked trying to pick up the scent of a female in heat. Once he did, he wandered into the woods and I didn't see him again.
Cub Kiss
The cub higher up had been in the tree a while by itself. I don’t know how the cubs got separated, but they were not together for quite some time. When the other cub showed up and climbed the tree, the other cub greeted it with a kiss.
Holding Tight
When another bear approached this cub and its family, mother bear told it to climb the tree. It ran fast up the tree and held tight as it waited for mother to let it know when it could come down.
Bubble Bath
Black bears don’t care about the water temperature because they will not get cold in the summer and there are fish in the river. This black bear was fishing right beneath a waterfall, which made it hard for him to see the fish.
Bear Road
Trees grow large in rainforests. There is so much precipitation that the trees can grow faster. Large trees that have fallen can create a roadway through the thick forest. This black bear was taking advantage of one of those trees to move quickly through the forest.
Aspen Bear
Black bears can move miles a day in search of food. In different types of forests, they find different food sources. They don't really get anything in an aspen forest, but I liked the look of the aspen tress with the black bear moving through the grove.
Overpowering
This was the largest black bear I have ever seen. He moved around as the king and knew he was the biggest bear in the area. When he stood to scratch this tree and let other bears know he was in the area, it was amazing how tall he was and how easily he pulled the tree down.
Wise Bear
This large black bear was a smart old bear. Anytime it heard a noise it didn't, like it would duck into the thick woods. When it thought the coast was clear it would come back out and eat. A bear this large didn't get this way by being dumb.
Staying Back
The older cubs get, the smarter they get. This mom gave the cubs a signal to not come to her and they listened. It was a good thing they listened because there was another bear not too far away from mom.
King Black
If it not often to see a black bear this large. He was considerably larger than any other black bear I saw in this area, or in Canada at all. After scent marking some trees, he opened his mouth and let any bears in the area know that he was king.
Who's There?
When black bear cubs are really small, they enjoy climbing trees. These two cubs, particularly, liked to chase each other and play on the larger trees. Not knowing where mother was after playing, they both looked around to try and find her.
Climbing Together
Black bear cubs enjoy climbing trees when they are young. Maybe it is just being young, but maybe it is just so much fun to climb a tree and play tag with your sibling. These two cubs were heading down the tree because their mother had given them the signal to come down.
Tidal Bear
When on a boat to go to a glacier, I was excited when we came across a black bear. I knew black bears were along the coast, but this area didn’t have any beaches or areas easily accessible, so I wasn’t expecting to see one. It was on the rocks eating clams and looked up at us because it was just as surprised to see us as we were to see it.
Rock Climbing
It is not very often a black bear walks along a dry river bed. I knew this bear was in the area of the river bed and waited all day in hope that he would walk it. Finally, just before all light was gone, he came out of the woods and moved carefully over the rocks and over this log.
Tiny
It is hard to understand how small a new black bear cub is until you see one. They're so small it seems like they would fit in the palm of your hand. This little black bear was comparable in height to the new small grass it was standing in.
Tree Hug
Black bears can always climb trees. When young, they run up and down the trees at incredible ease. This bear cub was not high off the ground and looking at its mother. Something had scared this cub, and it held on tight to make sure it didn't slide down.
Standing Out
Finding black bears in a rainforest can create a beautiful scene. It’s hard to know where they are coming from because the plants and trees are so thick. But when they pop out on the rocks they become visible and add to the landscape.
Rainforest Fishing
Being in a rainforest looking for bears is difficult. The landscape is so lush and the bears blend in well. There were so many times when I would look somewhere and see nothing, but look back just a few seconds later and there was a bear. The bears were very good at blending in and trying to surprise the salmon.
Stretching
This black bear was asleep on these logs for hours. I didn't stay on him, but went and looked for other bears. I had good timing when I cam back because he was just waking up. His stretching was similar to mine after I wake up from a long nap.
Rescuing
Mothers in nature are very caring. This little black bear cub was struggling and scared to come down this little branch. Mother saw the cub, and got up from her nap and went over to the cub. She stood up as high as she could to reach her cub and rescued the cub as the other siblings watched.
Wet Paws
Bears are very good swimmers and have no problem getting wet. When this good sized black bear came to this little stream I figured he would walk right through it. Instead, he decided to jump the 3 feet and try to keep his paws from getting wet.
Mothering
Young cubs need the milk from their mother to survive. This was a very good mother and had caught a few fish this day and shared them with her cubs. But they needed more than the fish and she leaned back at one point and let them suckle.
Spring Grass
In the spring black bears head down to the valleys to eat on fresh grass. This large black bear was taking a break from following a female to eat a little.
Rock Hiding
When mother bear goes to fish, she leaves her cubs in a safe place. Cubs are curious, though, and don’t always stay where they are suppose to. These cubs did stay where she left them, but they wanted to see her fish without being seen by the other bears.
Climbing Off
This black bear was one of the most successful black bears at catching fish. Often it would take it to the side and eat its catch. It didn’t want to this time and climbed the rocks out its fishing hole and off into the woods.
Forest Bear
A mother with cubs spends a lot of her time in the woods to stay away from males and for her cubs to have a quick escape up a tree. Most the time she will stay at the base of the tree and guard it. If she gets spooked too, she will climb up with her cubs and protect them if the other bear climbs up.
Tree Fight
Black bear cubs will find anything they can to fight on. There is no love lost between cubs, that's for sure. It was difficult for these cubs to fight on this tree because it was so small. It wouldn't take much pull and then one cub would fall from the tree to the ground, and then climb back up and try to fight again.
Family Greeting
This mother bear was a great mother bear. She seemed to always know where her cubs were and no other bears messed with her. After she had fed her cubs salmon they were thankful and one cub let its mother know that by kissing it.
The Best Side
It's amazing how an animal knows how to stand when to look the biggest. I followed this bear for a long time, and most of the time it was head on to me and looked moderately big. Once another bear appeared, he turned and looked at the bear and looked drastically larger and let it know he was serious.