Bute Spirit

Orford Bay, Bute Inlet, Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada

This shot is quite special to me, it is the moment when I achieved a long-held personal ambition of witnessing a grizzly in the Great Bear Rainforest. I have always been fascinated by the salmon run there and the ecosystems in play. Sadly, I didn’t see any black bears. It turns out the grizzlies show up seasonally and scare the black bears off. At the beginning of the day, my excellent local tour guide told me of a local dominant male called ‘CJ’. You can imagine my excitement when he showed up, walked down the river towards me and then smiled into his portrait. What a wonderful moment- such a handsome ‘fella too.
Credit again goes to Homalco Culture and Wildlife Tours and also to Campbell River Whale Watching and Adventure Tours.

Sony Alpha a7R (iv) Sony 135mm 1.8 GM lens 1/160 seconds @ f2.2