Lee's Photoblog
Three Musketeers
Posted by Lee (Fort Frances Ontario, Canada) on 13 May 2009 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
Not only are the migratory birds coming back. The bears are out and about too. Trust me when I say Mama Bear was very close by. She was at the base of the tree. She actually climbed up the tree later on. Three cubs in the same litter is not to common. Usually one or two cubs are born into a litter. Cubs are born in late January in the den. These little guys were not much more than a foot long. I have a very good supply of bear cub images now. And most importantly niether myself or any other humans were harmed during this photo op.
I was far enough away not to be a threat. However, I always have an escape to safety plan, before I get near these animals.
Thank you for visiting my site. I consider myself to be lucky living where I do. Everyday I wake up to a wealth of interesting visual scenarios. Most of my pictures are Wildlife and Nature taken from around the area. The area specifically being Fort Frances Ontario on beautiful Rainy Lake. Feel free to comment on what you see. I look forward to hearing from you. If you like what you see, please rate it. Better yet, bookmark the site and drop back often. I will be posting daily.
All images are copyrighted by Lee Oelke Photography. They cannot be reproduced, electronically, or by printing without my written consent. Should you be interested in any of my images, please contact me.
Lylou & Roland from Besancon, France
Really nice... I hope for you the mother was far away !
13 May 2009 5:22am
@Lylou & Roland: Thank you. The mother was at the base of the tree.
Véro from Peisey-Nancroix, France
so cute those kids in full learning, they seem to be curious.
13 May 2009 5:36am
@Véro: Thank you. Yes at this age everything is new to them. They are always curious.
mats from Texas, United States
I like how they are all looking at you, esp. the one at the very top. Yay! They are aquarians too :-)
13 May 2009 5:37am
@mats: I have several shots. This is one of the few they are all looking at me.
The Big Guy from Regina, Canada
When shooting bears there is one rule you should always follow, take someone slower than you are!!!
Nice Shot Lee.
13 May 2009 5:44am
@The Big Guy: It's the only rule to follow when shooting bears.
@Magda: Thank you very much.
@kisskool: Thank you. Bears are cute in general. Big and powerful. But they can be cute when they want to.
@r00t: Thank you.
@Zing: Thank you.
P J W Miller from Chase Terrace, United Kingdom
Nice image of these guys at play, the one on the left thinking he could be dinner in a few years
13 May 2009 8:21am
@P J W Miller: Thank you. Anyone of them could become dinner for someone. Man is pretty well their only enemy.
Baby Sis from Canada
Great shot, you are right momma bear would not be far away, they are still pretty young. They must have had their poridge already, left you alone. Tooooooooooooooooo brave for me big bro.
13 May 2009 9:38am
@Baby Sis: Momma was not far away. She was at the base of the tree. They really don't care for human meat, too salty.
Denise from Perry, United States
HArd to belive that they are climbing like tthat when still so small. Great catch.
13 May 2009 9:52am
@Denise: I think they are born with the ability to climb. It is an escape for them from danger sometimes.
@Elena Kotrotsou: Thank you
@dkc: Thank you.
@Kerri: Thank you.
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
A trio of adorable baby bears, Oh I adore this, it's fabulous!
13 May 2009 10:46am
@Lorraine: Thank you very muc Lorraine.
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
What a beauty of a shot Lee....you are sooo good at the wildlife:-) Brilliant!!!
13 May 2009 10:48am
@Linerberry: Thank you Liners.
Eric Cousineau from Sherwood Park, Canada
Wonderful capture Lee. Takes a bit of moxie to get near the little ones when Mamma is around! ;-)
13 May 2009 11:23am
@Eric Cousineau: Thank you Eric. It takes a strong lens also.
Earnest from Oklahoma, United States
Great shot. Glad to hear you played it safe in these dangerous conditions.
13 May 2009 11:37am
@Earnest: Thank you. When it comes to my personal safety, I look after myself.
Marion from Cincinnati, United States
I just love these adorable cubs. I love your image and am looking forward to seeing many more of these teddy-bears :)
13 May 2009 11:45am
@Marion: Thank you Marion. No doubt I'll post one or two more of these guys in the next little while.
Veronique from Sarrouilles, France
great picture ! what is your escape to safety ? a car ?
13 May 2009 11:54am
@Veronique: Thank you Veronique. You are right.My truck is very close by. That way i can retreat to safety quickly.
@Onlymehdi: Thank you very much.
bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada
What a beautiful shot....they are so cute :)
13 May 2009 12:54pm
@bluechameleon: Thank you Sharon. They are cute when this size. As adults they are big and strong. No more cuteness.
Tracy from La Selva Beach, United States
Wonderful shot Lee! You have really captured the playful nature of these little guys...Beautiful shot!
13 May 2009 2:08pm
@Tracy: Thank you Tracy.
Mary from PA, United States
Oh what a capture!! great composition!! Sure look like fun to watch and glad you watch out for yourself too :)
13 May 2009 2:44pm
@Mary: Thank you Mary. I stay quite back quite a distance from them when I photograph. However, I'm always cautious.
Mariana from waterloo, Canada
oh my ! these are just spectacular ! Gorgeous capture, and that light - just fantastic !
13 May 2009 2:51pm
@Mariana: Thank you Mariana. It was a surprise to me to find these 3. And up a tree besides. The early morning light always appeals to me.
Viewfinder from Bradenton, FL, United States
What a great shot, Lee. You are situated in such a perfect area for nature photos.
13 May 2009 2:55pm
@Viewfinder: Thank you. Yes, I do love our area. Like I always say, There is no loss for photographic opportunities around here.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
What a fantastic catch you got. And for the way these guys don't stay still, the composition you managed is just wonderful......How lucky you were to even get to see such a moment,,,..and you've captured it brilliantly!!! And so glad no one was maimed or hurt during your outing!!
13 May 2009 3:18pm
@Susan: Thank you Susan. I thought this was an excellent find. Three little cubs, so small, so sweet, so cute, all up a tree, and all to be looking right at me. I am very pleased with this shot.
Michael Rawluk from Williams Lake, BC, Canada
The three bears looking down know they are safe because momma is around to protect them.
13 May 2009 4:03pm
@Michael Rawluk: Momma was right below the tree from them.
@Linda: Thank you Very Much.
Ajay from Pune, India
Lucky you!!! You got to click some really rare shots of bears' action.
13 May 2009 4:46pm
@Ajay: Thank you very much. I thought I was pretty lucky.
@vu@granby: Thank you.
LauraS from Chico, United States
Wonderful shot, Lee and such a great narrative, too. Three cubs is unusual, eh?
13 May 2009 5:20pm
@LauraS: Thank you Laura. Yes, three cubs is unusual. 1 or 2 is normal.
B. Thomas from Arlington, Texas, United States
I'm glad you have an escape plan. This is a great shot. How wonderful to be able to see these in the wild. The one at the bottom is so adorable.
13 May 2009 6:00pm
@B. Thomas: It is great to be able to view wildlife in it's natural habitat. I am very forntunate.
@lydia: Thank you Lydia.
JanW from Rotterdam, Netherlands
Great shot Lee. It must be very exciting seeing cubs in their own habitat.
13 May 2009 7:44pm
@JanW: Thank you. It was very exciting. I used almos a gigabyte of memory shooting these babies.
@Alun: Thank you Alun. They were just sitting there, They did not get to excited. Just slowly went about their business. Momma eventually climbed the tree with them.
BIG SIS and Brother-inlaw from Petawawa Ontario, Canada
Hey Lee; L@@KS like they are are having a ball ! Nice shot again.
13 May 2009 11:22pm
@BIG SIS and Brother-inlaw: Thank you very much.
Kathe from Marquette, Michigan, United States
They're adorable. I've never had any problems when encountering bears (before I owned a camera, so I have no pics of any), but agree with you on having a safety plan. Even when you'd not expect needing one - most encounters I've had WERE when I least expected them.
Excellent shot, Lee. Hope to see more of these - especially if you can document them as they grow. :^)
14 May 2009 1:22am
@Kathe: Thank you Kathe. We'll see what the future holds for being able to document their growth. I doubt I'll be able to, but we'll see.
@Soe: Thank you for the compliment. Please visit again.
jamesy from christchurch, New Zealand
absolutley beautiful Lee I'm pleased that you keep safe
14 May 2009 7:23am
@jamesy: Thank you Debbie. Better safe than sorry, that's my motto.
@eva: Thank you.
Jen from St. George, United States
What a great capture! The light is so beautiful, and I love the way you composed it!
14 May 2009 10:07pm
@Jen: Thank you Jen. Early morning light has something special about it. The glow is unique. The hue is divine. A little cropping and voila. Thanks again.
@Sandrine: Thank you Sandrine.
Elora from Genoa, Italy
Wow, Lee I hadn't seen this one. Absolutely incredible and brave thing you did. I don't know if I would have had the guts to do that....
15 May 2009 12:55pm
@Elora: Thank you Elora. I don't know if it was brave or not. I do klnow my vehicle was very close by, and the door was open. ha.
Lesley from Lincoln, United States
Wow! You live in a wildlife paradise, don't you?! I'd have a hard time going off to work, worried I'd miss a great scene like this one.
15 May 2009 3:06pm
@Lesley: Thank you Lesley. Most of my shots are taken in the early morning. I'm the only person I know that can take 2-3 hours to get to work, when it should take me less than 5 minutes.
@Ricardo: Thank you very much Ricardo.
shallowregret from Kongsberg, Norway
so incredible cute, hope to see more of these cubs.
16 May 2009 7:23am
@shallowregret: Thank you. I hope to see more of them also.
