This young Black Bear was gorging on dandelions by the roadside; those are dandelion seeds plastered to his face!
Photographed in Kootenay National Park, BC. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Black Bear Ursus americanus wildlife mammal carnivore omnivore vertical Dandelion wilderness wild nature Rocky Mountains Canadian Rockies Kootenay National Park BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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This young, slim Black Bear was feeding on dandelions.
Photographed in Kootenay National Park, BC. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Black Bear Ursus americanus wildlife animal mammal predator portrait profile feeding dandelions field outdoor wild mountains forest wilderness nature Kootenay National Park BC British Columbia Rocky Mountains Canadian Rockies Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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Finding wildlife along a mountain trail in recent years not only gives me a lucky photo op, but also an excuse to stop and catch my breath. This Least Chipmunk was foraging in a small meadow - constantly moving, and more important, ignoring me. There was lots to photograph that day, including some big landscape views where the trail disappeared in talus, scree, and glacial moraine, but this was my favourite moment.
Photographed along the Stanley Glacier Trail in Kootenay National Park, BC. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2013 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Least Chipmunk Eutamias minimus wildlife animal mammal rodent foraging beside the trail rock boulder wild wilderness nature Rocky Mountains Canadian Rockies Kootenay National Park BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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At a rest stop on a trail in the Rockies, this Least Chipmunk came to investigate. It was probably looking for a handout, but I don't feed the wildlife. After a few minutes of scampering over and around a nearby rock pile, it began foraging for its natural food.
I had not hiked this trail since 1977; there were a lot more people on it 36 years later. I remembered hiking through a fairly recent burn the first time - lots of fireweed and blackened stumps in the lower part, before I got into the alpine. Not much had changed in that respect, except that there were signs of more recent fires. This process is ongoing, and is the primary means by which forests regenerate.
Despite what the map claims, this was photographed along the Stanley Glacier Trail in Kootenay National Park, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2013 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Least Chipmunk Neotamias minimus wildlife animal mammal rodent trailside agile rock wild nature wilderness Rocky Mountains Canadian Rockies Stanley Glacier Trail Kootenay National Park BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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Forest fires swept through this area in 1968 and again in 2003, creating a patchwork of burned and unburned terrain that can support a greater abundance and diversity of wildlife than old growth forest. These fires were caused by lightning strikes. Hiking the trails in the area is really interesting, and views are no less spectacular.
I made this shot from the Stanley Glacier Trail in 2013. I had not been up this trail since 1977, and it seemed to have gotten steeper and more gruelling in the intervening 36 years. Hmmm...
Photographed in Kootenay National Park, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2013 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
(The map isn't very good at interpreting provincial boundaries. This photo was taken in British Columbia, not Alberta.)
Tags: landscape old burn mountains fire succession dead trees forest renewal regrowth natural healthy beauty nature wild wilderness Stanley Glacier Trail Kootenay National Park Rocky Mountains Canadian Rockies BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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