We were lodge bound today due to the high winds and six foot seas. With nearly a hundred gigs of images on the hard drives no one was too disappointed and we settled in to do some editing and Photoshop work on the images we already had made. We had our cameras handy as there has been quite a bit of bear activity right near the lodge and today was no exception as two boars were vying for the a little female. We watched as the bigger boar kept driving the other boar away and following the female. We watched the female as she headed to the island across the bay from the lodge with the big boar in hot pursuit. A few minutes later a cow moose with a brand new calf came out of the woods and headed across the bay to the same island…
We wondered what would happen with the two bears on the island when suddenly the moose came running out of the trees and back across the bay…straight at another bear! At this point everything was out of photographic range so we simply sat back and watched nature unfold. The moose stopped cold about sixty feet from the bear and the stand off began. The bear finally took a step towards the calf and the mother charged him making contact that knocked him backwards. The bear retreated but, only for a short time before sneaking back by another route only to have the mother moose charge him again. At this point, the sow and boar that were on the island came back to the mud flats and headed straight towards the moose and her calf. We were all totally mesmerized by the drama knowing that the newborn calf was not going to see another day. The sow and boar stopped to sniff the air and then went on about the business of clamming. The moose and her calf stood in the water for quite awhile before she finally decided to head back to the island…
We were all relieved to see that the little calf would live to see at least another day. We watched the boar and sow clamming in the distance keeping an eye on their activity when the sow wandered off and the boar laid down in the mud for a rest. We grabbed our cameras and headed down the beach to photograph the boar…
The little sow decided to take a bath in the bay and as she came out of the water she found a stick that she paused to play with…
We had an outstanding day right here at the lodge. You could say it was a Mutual of Omaha Moment!
Images made with Nikon D3S/D3, AF-S 600mm VR, TC-20E III on Lexar Digital Media.
