We are up early, 5:30, for our last bear viewing opportunity. We agreed to meet Brooke in the Wheel House at 6:30. We get there at 6:15 and have our morning coffee while we wait for her.
The weather is better this morning. There are clouds but the wind and rain have stopped.
We don't go far before we see bears. Crimp Ear and her cubs are eating sedge grasses in the meadows. She obviously isn't comfortable. She keeps standing on her hind legs and looking up and down the meadows. She is between 2 groups of male bears. It isn't long before she and the cub take off for the beach. We decide to head for the beach, too,
Crimp Ear and cubs.
We reach the beach. It is low tide. The Lodge boats are totally out of the water. The Three Amigos are on the tidal flats clamming.
Yesterday I noticed bear scat with clam shells in it. Brooke told me bears eat clams differently, depending on how their mothers taught them to eat the clams. Because it's a learned behavior, observing scat can be used to identify bear family relationships. Some bears dig up the clam and eat the whole thing, shell and all. Hence the shells in the scat. Other bears open the shell and suck the clam out. Then there are the bears that dig the clam up, smash it and lick the smushed clam off their paws.
We watch the bears clamming until time to go to breakfast. Breakfast is a cheese and onion omelet, toast, hash browns, orange juice, coffee and homemade donuts. Another YUM!
We wander around the lodge and take a few pictures until it is time to go to the beach to meet the plane.
Our plane arrives and we say goodbye.
The drive home was without stops and uneventful.
More About Our Guide
Our guide, Brooke Bartleson, is impressive. She knows bears. The ways bears eat clams is one example. It also shows in how she interacts with bears. Yesterday while bear viewing a bear appeared curious about us. The bear was slowly, but not aggressively, making its way towards us. BB asks if we should move away. Brooke's response, "No, the bear is to move away." Brooke positioned herself in front of us. She waited until the bear reached Brooke's don't cross line, then she let out a sound between a huff and a huh. Brooke didn't yell it, but it was loud enough to get the bear's attention. The bear slowly changed course to move away from us. Brooke told us the bears need to know that we are in charge. That if we move away from them the bears will learn that they are dominant. Brooke also let us know that Lake Clark bears, due to being habituated to humans, act differently that other bears. She acts differently around bears she encounters outside of the Park. She seems to enjoy sharing her knowledge with others. She has been guiding bear viewing trips in Alaska for the past six years.
Brooke is also a wildlife photographer. Her website, LittleBearWildlife.com, has an impressive ad for Olympus cameras. Her website also lists expeditions that she guides.
I truly hope I get the opportunity to meet her again!
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