Nothing grand here in terms of "photography", but a sight both fun and gratifying for me!

A little after 10 yesterday morning I happened to glance out the window and I saw my cat on the the deck, straining his chubby little head between the slats. Typically, he isn't so overtly interested in birds, squirrels, or even deer. I followed his gaze and saw a fat bear in a nearby field. I grabbed my camera, called to my girlfriend and crept out onto the deck.

The bear was around 50 ft away. She had a metal tag in each ear. The clouds quickly ran across the sun, so it was alternating gray or sunny second by second. She didn't seem to like the clatter of the camera's shutter much. My girlfriend, watching from a window, repeatedly yelled to me to bring the cat inside. He didn't want to leave at all and struggled when I picked him up. After a minute the neighbors' little rat-dog ran over to their fence and started it's high-pitched yipping. The bear casually strolled across the field toward the woods.
.
We were able to watch her for 5 minutes before she disappeared into the woods. She seemed relaxed and displayed no aggression, just a little irritation with the loud shutter. She woofed softly at me once. My girlfriend - who was (and in many ways still is) a city girl - was pretty nervous and wanted me to come inside, whereas I wanted to go downstairs and out the back door to take more pics.

All of the attached photos were from a distance of about 50-90 ft. They are either uncropped or slightly cropped. We usually see bear a couple times a year, but seldom this close, and not usually when the weather is good.

Ursala is a beautiful creature.

[daacon]

Great captures , nice story - glad the girlfriend ,the cat and you are all ok. And I totally agree - my first reaction on a black bear would be to get more pics ! (Now a Grizzly would be a different story) - doubt I would have followed her into the bushes though ...

[Heinrich Lohmann]

Very nice images, thanks for showing us.

[dexmus]

superb encounter

[luftfluss]

Great captures , nice story - glad the girlfriend ,the cat and you are all ok. And I totally agree - my first reaction on a black bear would be to get more pics ! (Now a Grizzly would be a different story) - doubt I would have followed her into the bushes though ...

I'd definitely be more on-edge around a grizzly or brown bear. I appreciate that black bears are more laid back.

Very nice images, thanks for showing us.

Thank you!

superb encounter

It was superb for me, I don't think she was quite as enthused.

[sealonsf]

Lucky you! That second shot is stunning. Isn't it great when the sun works with you for shots like this? Especially for a black bear - it really works well in this shot to get those details - excellent.

[Sailor]

Great job in creating such good photos via quick reaction to the unexpected. These are something to be proud of.

Jer

[luftfluss]

Lucky you! That second shot is stunning. Isn't it great when the sun works with you for shots like this? Especially for a black bear - it really works well in this shot to get those details - excellent.

Yes, when the sun came out I was extremely fortunate!

Great job in creating such good photos via quick reaction to the unexpected. These are something to be proud of.

Jer

Thanks. Sometimes I choke in these situations, but not this time!

[Colbyt]

Nice captures. You are a braver person than me. I went back to look at the lens and thought well maybe he was at the 500 end. Then I saw:

All of the attached photos were from a distance of about 50-90 ft.

Try not to become bear breakfast.

[charliezap]

Very nice series.The bear looks like you could almost hand feed it.--charliezap

[luftfluss]

Nice captures. You are a braver person than me. I went back to look at the lens and thought well maybe he was at the 500 end. Then I saw:



Try not to become bear breakfast.

You wouldn't have been afraid... she's a sweetheart. I felt bad about bothering her with the loud shutter.

Very nice series.The bear looks like you could almost hand feed it.--charliezap

I've a feeling that if I attempted to hand-feed her, you'd be calling me Stumpy.

[Dma110]

Like the series very much. You are lucky you live where you get visits from bears. I have to drive 2 1/2- 3 hours to see any.
My wife would never leave the house if we had bears in the back yard.

[Ash]

Good show.
Thanks for presenting it to us.

[stormtech]

Great set of shots!

We see Black Bears quite often here at home, but always at or after dusk so I've never achieved a good shot.

The slight sun did a great thing in showing how lustrous their coats are this time of year.

Also, the Sigma 170-500 did a fine job (as well as the photographer)!

[luftfluss]

Like the series very much. You are lucky you live where you get visits from bears. I have to drive 2 1/2- 3 hours to see any.
My wife would never leave the house if we had bears in the back yard.

Funny thing is, there are bears all around us here, but we seldom see them.

Good show.
Thanks for presenting it to us.

Thanks! (and you're welcome )

Great set of shots!

We see Black Bears quite often here at home, but always at or after dusk so I've never achieved a good shot.

The slight sun did a great thing in showing how lustrous their coats are this time of year.

Also, the Sigma 170-500 did a fine job (as well as the photographer)!

Yeah, the other times I've seen bears it's been at dusk and once during a rainstorm.

Her coat was lustrous and lovely. The sigma sometimes has trouble focusing on monotone subjects even in good light, so I'm glad it was able to perform when I needed it to!