One my favorite wild places to photograph bears is Anan Creek, just a short boat ride out of Wrangell, Alaska. Anan is special because it supports one of the largest pink salmon runs in Southeast Alaska which in turn supports a lot of bears feasting in this flowing river of protein. The U.S. Forest Service […]
Anan Creek
Photo Contest Winner, Anan Bears, Alaska #3444
The National Wildlife Federation has announced the winners of its 2022 annual National Wildlife® Photo Contest. Thousands of photographers from around the world submitted more than 30,000 photos of wildlife, rich landscapes, and incredible encounters with nature. The collection of ten images of the bears of Anan Creek I submitted in the portfolio category won first place. I am so honored and excited […]
A 2022 WINNER
December 2022 The National Wildlife Federation has announced the winners of its 2022 annual National Wildlife® Photo Contest. Thousands of photographers from around the world submitted more than 30,000 photos of wildlife, rich landscapes, and incredible encounters with nature. The collection of ten images of the bears of Anan Creek I submitted in the portfolio category […]
Black Bear Cubs, Anan Creek, Wrangell, Alaska #3441
Two black bear cubs hang out in a spruce tree while waiting for their mom who is fishing in Anan Creek for pink salmon. What’s special about Anan Creek is that it probably supports the largest wild pink salmon run along Alaska’s Inside Passage. This salmon run, in turn, supports a bear population of 35 […]
Black Bears, Anan Wildlfie Observatory, Wrangell, AK #3419
A mom and cub black bear sneak by group of clueless photographers who have just left the viewing deck at the Anan Wildlife Observatory near Wrangell, Alaska. I have showed this image to a lot of people, and their reactions range from a small smile or a chuckle to an out right belly laugh. I […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Southeast Alaska #3411
Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory is located in the old growth forest of the Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. The spawning pink salmon in Anan Creek fill the stream from bank to bank and run into a very steep waterfall blocking them from reaching their spawning grounds. Only the strong, […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Wrangell, Alaska #3410
I have been going to Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory, located an hour boat ride from Wrangell in Southeast Alaska, for the past 13 years. The Observatory sits on the edge of Anan Creek, which is packed with spawning pink salmon and supports a large population of black and brown bears. I always get a calendar […]
Cover, Wrangell Summer Guide, Alaska #3394
My good friend and proud new owner of the Wrangell Sentinel, Larry Persily, chose my photo of two black bear cubs at Anan Creek as the cover of the newspaper’s 2021 Visitors Guide. Wrangell is the gateway community for most anyone wanting to see the bears at the Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory. The trip to […]
In the News
Today (Jan. 7, 2021), the Wrangell Sentinel ran a photo of mine, of bears and eagles from Anan Creek, across five columns on the front page. My dear friend, Larry Persily, recently bought the struggling small-town paper and wanted to make a splash with the first issue under his new ownership. I have known Larry […]
Bears & Eagles, Anan Creek, Alaska #3360
Sometimes when I am out photographing, it can be hard to believe what I am seeing. In my wildest dream I could have never, ever imagined a shot with two black bear cubs and two bald eagles in the same tree. To top it off, the clear spacing and unobstructed visibility in this photo is […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska #3355
I am thrilled to announce that National Wildlife Magazine is featuring one of my favorite images on their cover of the August-September 2020 issue, which I call “Drizzly Bear…Reigning over the Tongass.” I have photographed the bears at Anan Creek in Southeast Alaska for 13 years. Anan is located in the middle of the Tongass […]
Bear Cub, Anan Creek, Alaska #3344
Besides having so many adult bears roaming around at Anan Creek, there are usually a bunch of first year cubs as well. I counted six cubs one year, just hanging out around the viewing platform. As much as I love taking pictures, I use my passion for photography as a way to experience the world. […]
Black Bear and Cub, Anan Creek, Alaska #3343
A black bear sow nurses its cub at Anan Creek near Wrangell, Alaska. The US Forest Service operates a viewing platform where I go to photograph and enjoy free-roaming bears going about their daily lives. This year will mark my 13th annual pilgrimage to photograph the bears at Anan. I am often asked why I […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska #3342
Anan Creek is known as one of the best places in Alaska to photograph bears. The creek is one of the most productive pink salmon streams in Alaska. Anan Creek drainage supports a population of 35-plus black bears and 12-20 brown bears. Visitors to the site walk along a half mile trail to a viewing […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska #3341
While leaving the viewing platform at Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory, a group of wildlife photographers missed a momma bear and cub scooting by behind them. As a photographer I try to be constantly aware of everything around me. More often than I care to admit, I can be outfoxed by a sneaky critter. I took […]
Inn with a View, Wrangell, Alaska #3340
In the summer of 2019, I hosted six photographers for a five-day photo adventure based out of the Stikine Inn in Wrangell, Alaska. We spent five days photographing bears at Anan Creek, humpback whales in the Wrangell area, and icebergs and calving ice at the face of the LeConte Glacier. Last year’s trip was an […]
Black Bear Cubs, Anan Creek, Alaska #3132
This image titled “Alaska Eden” was the second Mark Kelley image accepted in the 2019 Alaska Positive Exhibit. The exhibit at the Alaska State Museum opened Friday, December 6, and runs through February 15, 2020. Now in its 49th year, Alaska Positive is a biennial exhibition of Alaska photography sponsored by the Alaska State Museum. This year’s juror, David Michael […]
Black Bear Cub, Anan Creek, Alaska #3130
A baby black bear hangs out in a tree waiting for its mother to finish fishing in the creek below. Bears at Anan Creek are so fun to photograph. It really is a must-do and bucket-list photo destination. I have been traveling there for the last twelve summers and look forward too many more trips. […]
Bald Eagle, Anan Creek, Alaska #3117
A bald eagle hides under spruce tree boughs along the shore of Anan Creek near Wrangell, Alaska. I have traveled to Anan Creek every year for the past twelve years and plan to keep going every year for the foreseeable future. The place presents such a wonderful mix of brown and black bears, bald eagles, […]
Immature Bald Eagle, Anan Creek, Alaska #3112
I love photographing bears at Anan Creek, but the added bonus for going there are the too-numerous-to-count bald eagles hanging out in the trees and along the shoreline. This past July, while on a low-tide walk, I stopped counting eagles after enumerating some fifty individuals with no end in sight. Anan Creek is steeped in old-growth trees providing wonderful habitat […]
Black Bears, Anan Creek, Wrangell, AK #3110
A black bear sow nurses its first year cub at Anan Creek near Wrangell, Alaska. The US Forest Service operates a viewing platform where 60 people per day get to watch wild, free roaming bears going about their daily lives. This is my 12th year of photographing the bears at Anan, and this time I hosted a group of […]
Black Bears, Anan Creek, Alaska #3086
This black bear cub found itself separated from its mother. The cub climbed a tree for safety and started bawling for its mother to return. The mother bear was at the creek catching pink salmon; she heard the baby’s call and came running. This image represents the incredibly affectionate and extremely tight mother-and-cub bond that […]
Black Bears, Anan Creek, Alaska #3071
Mother black bears are wonderful mothers. Sows are very affectionate and protective of their newborns. They will care for their cubs for sixteen months before weaning them and sending them out on their own. Anan Creek is one of the best places in Alaska to photograph bears. I have been traveling to Anan Creek every […]
Black Bear Cub, Anan Creek, Alaska #3069
A baby black bear rests in a tree while mamma bear fishes in Anan Creek below. Mother black bears send their little ones up a tree to keep them safe while she hunts for food. Born in a den in late January or early February baby black bears are blind, nearly hairless, and weigh under a […]
Black Bear Cubs and Eagles, Anan Creek, Alaska #3067
Two black bear cubs and two bald eagles, a juvenile and a mature eagle, hang out in a spruce tree near Anan Creek just outside of Wrangell, Alaska. Starting in 2008 I have traveled annually to Anan Creek to photograph the wildlife. During these 11 years I have never seen bears and eagles in the […]
Black Bear Cub, Anan Creek, Alaska #3028
“Hanging Out” – A black bear cub hangs out in a tree while its mother fishes for pink salmon in Anan Creek. I love this image because the cub looks so comfortable and relaxed in what seems like a very precarious position on a couple of skinny branches. Black bear cubs are great climbers. I have […]
Black Bears, Anan Creek, Alaska #3023
A black bear cub got separated from its mother and climbed in a spruce tree waiting to be found. The cub stood in the tree bawling for it mom as you can see my previous posting (Image #3017). The mother bear finally heard its cub’s wailing and came to the rescue. Anan Creek is one of the […]
Juvenile Raven, Anan Creek, Alaska #3018
Folks usually go to Anan Creek to photograph bears but on my last trip I really got into watching two juvenile ravens that were creating a ruckus. I find ravens incredibly hard to photograph. Every time I turn my camera to shoot they fly off. Of course the raven is an especially important and culturally […]
Baby Black Bear, Anan Creek #3017
Last week I spent three days at the Anan Forest Service cabin in Wrangell, Alaska, with family and friends celebrating my birthday. I had a wonderful time photographing bears, but almost had more fun celebrating, eating chocolate cake, drinking mojitos, and singing a rousing rendition of the Beatles song “When I Am Sixty-four”. I wanted to […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska…Image 2975
A black bear sits outside a small cave scratching an itch. I shot this photo from the photo blind that the US Forest Service maintains at the Anan Creek Bear Observatory platform near Wrangell, Alaska. This is one of the very few streams that supports a large population of both black and coastal brown bears. Better known bear […]
“Drizzly Bear” or “Reigning over the Tongass”, Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image #2913
Every year since 1944, the Missouri School of Journalism has recognized the best work in photojournalism through the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) contest. The contest is the oldest (72 years) and considered by many the most prestigious photojournalism program and competition in the world. This year, I took third place in the Science & […]
Sleeping Black Bear, Anan Creek, Tongass National Forest, Near Wrangell, Alaska …Image # 2890
I love to nap and have been accused of napping almost everywhere at any time. Yet, this plump black bear napping in a small spruce seems improbable even to me. He was snoring pretty loud and when he exhaled his lips flapped in the breeze. I have been to Anan Creek every year for the past seven years […]
Alaska Magazine – The Bears of Anan – Image 2858
The February 2014 issue of Alaska Magazine features an eight-page photo layout of bear images I shot at Anan Wildlife Observatory, along with text by Nick Jans. I have been traveling to Anan Creek for the past five summers, spending as little as a day to sometimes a whole week at the time. Anan Creek […]
“Hanging Out”, Black Bear Cubs, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2832
This spruce tree is probably the single most photographed tree in all of Alaska. It is a favorite hang out for bear cubs at Anan Creek. Being very close to the viewing platform, its comfortable branches provide an unbelievable viewing opportunity. The Anan Creek area has a black bear population of some 40 to 50 […]
Anan Creek, Wrangell, Alaska – Image 2734
The bears at Anan Creek fish from the cracks and crevasses created by boulders at the base of the falls. They stand in the mouth of the caves catching fish and then retreat inside the boulder patch to eat their catch. Then, they reappear and start the process over and over and over again–all day […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2765
I am continuing with bear photos for the next three weeks. On March 14, I will being doing an Alaska Wildlife Alliance SE “Wildlife Wednesday” presentation with Jay and Jayleen Beedle starting at 7pm in the UAS Egan Lecture Hall. I will be showing bear images. Here, a black bear strips the skin of a […]
Black Bear, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2763
I am continuing with bear photos for the next six weeks. On March 14, I will being doing an Alaska Wildlife Alliance SE “Wildlife Wednesday” presentation with Jay and Jayleen Beedle starting at 7pm in the UAS Egan Lecture Hall. I will be showing bear images. Here, a black bear tries to fish the raging […]
Black Bear Lounge, Anan Creek, Wrangell,Alaska – Image 2729
One of my new and most favorite spots in Southeast Alaska is Anan Creek. The US Forest Service has maintained a bear viewing platform and photography blind at Anan for years. I just visited Anan for the first time last year. I ended up going to this Anan twice last summer for a total of […]
Bald Eagle, Anan Creek,Alaska – Image 2798
My go-to place to photograph wildlife is Anan Creek. The place is famous for its populations of black and brown bears, but I find it a fantastic place to photograph eagles especially in July. I shot this bald eagle from the bear viewing platform at the falls at Anan Creek. The eagle was sitting on […]
Bald Eagle, Old Growth Forest, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2730
An adult bald eagle perches on a spruce limb in the old growth forest along the banks of Anan Creek. Pink salmon arrive in early July to Anan Creek which is one of Alaska’s most productive salmon streams. The early arriving salmon get stuck at the lower falls and start to bunch up. As the […]
Black Bear, Pink Salmon, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2766
I am continuing with bear photos for the next two weeks. Today, I will being doing an Alaska Wildlife Alliance SE “Wildlife Wednesday” presentation with Jay and Jayleen Beedle starting at 7pm in the UAS Egan Lecture Hall. I will be showing bear images. Here, a black bear poses with its freshly caught pink salmon […]
Bald Eagles, Anan Creen, Alaska – Image 2829
Bald eagles get their distinctive white head and white tail feathers at adulthood around age five. Here an adult eagle sits on a branch with a juvenile eagle. I have never had the opportunity to photograph the two age groups together and have not seen any other images of the age pairings together. There was […]
Black Bear, Pink Salmon, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2767
I am continuing with bear photos for the next week. Here, a black bear squats on a rock and enjoys its pink salmon meal. What works in this photo for me is the anthropomorphizing of this animal. This bear has the look of someone taking a break from a really satisfying meal that we all […]
Black Bear, Pink Salmon, Anan Creek, Alaska. – Image 2768
This image is the last installment on my Anan Creek bear photos. Here, a black bear grabs a pink salmon out of Anan Creek, spins up around and heads up out of the creek into the forest to eats its meal. After catching their salmon creekside, many bears head deep into the forest to eat […]
Coastal Brown Bear, Bald Eagle, Anan Creek, Alaska – Image 2764
I am continuing with bear photos for the next four weeks. On March 14, I will being doing an Alaska Wildlife Alliance “Wildlife Wednesday” presentation with Jay and Jayleen Beedle starting at 7pm in the UAS Egan Lecture Hall. I will be showing bear images. Here, a coastal brown bear fishes Anan Creek surrounded by […]