More Baby Bears!

By popular demand we have even more baby bears!!!

A couple of years ago I joined the Georgia Nature Photographers Association (GNPA). At my very first meeting I met Steve and Connie White. We struck up a friendship. Later we met out in Yellowstone and the Tetons when they helped me pull my friend, Jim Palmer, out of a ditch. True friends don’t let their friend’s friends lay helpless in a ditch out beside some deserted gravel road. They offer up their friend’s tow strap. That says a lot about our friendship!

Well, since we got our cabin in the Smokies, I haven’t been a regular attendee at the GNPA meetings. Steve & Connie were tracking me on my blog but, we hadn’t gotten together in a while. It was time.

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

Beth and I invited Steve & Connie up to the Smokies with the promise of bears. They were a little skeptical at first about the bears but, came anyway.

 

 

Eastern Phoebe - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

Naturally, I laid down the law on the first day. This time of year must be devoted to baby bears. Any images taken of little birds like this Eastern Phoebe must only be done when no baby bears are present.

 

Carter Shields Cabin - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

As we all know there are several old structures in Cades Cove that are just screaming to be photographed. I took this image simply to demonstrate what NOT to do. Black and white was used so as not to waste color.

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

We started out by visiting some of the areas in the park where I had seen baby bears last month. While we were driving down Forge Creek Road, Steve calls out “STOP there’s a bear!”. Sure enough. It’s the mother bear with the white “V” on her chest.

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

After a few moments she’s joined by her two tiny cubs.

 

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

We pretty much kept our distance because I knew this mother bear was quite protective and had “bluff charged” some people last month.

 

 

Good job Steve for spotting the bear! At this point, they’re starting to think that maybe they WILL see several baby bears on this trip. We’ll see…

Pileated Woodpecker - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

As a reward for spotting the bear I relented to their pleas and allowed Steve & Connie to shoot a handful of Pileated Woodpecker images before we resumed our hunt for baby bears. You can’t just roll over!

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

We found this cub with its mother on the loop road near the north end of Hyatt Lane.

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

This little guy was a ham and quite the performer. He danced up and down three different trees while we watched him do everything in the baby bear repertoire.

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

 

No limb was to go unexplored.

 

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

 

No trees were too wide nor too tall for this baby bear.

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

Some trees had to be climbed on both the left and right sides to make sure nothing was missed.

 

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

Just to show how big and mighty he was, he takes a bite out of this twig. Chomp Chomp.

We couldn’t wait for him to walk out on the end of that barren limb so we could get some killer images! Naturally, he knew that and never did it.

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

 

Several times he climbed WAY up to the top. No fear of heights with this one!

 

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

Very briefly he would pause and strike a nice pose. Mostly he was a perpetual motion machine.

 

 

 

Black Bear - Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

Several times he would be hidden on the back side of the tree only to pop out in view. Where’s Waldo?

We saw several other baby bears but, this little guy was just too cute.

 

Cades Cove - GSMNP, TN

 

I think Steve & Connie had a super trip to Cades Cove and our cabin in the Smokies. They saw more bears than they’d ever seen before and got to meet our dog, Paddy.

 

 

What can be better than good food and good friends mixed in with a heaping helping of lots of bears and a great dog. Sounds like a recipe for fun!