Was excited to have fog on my second to last morning last week – what a treat!

Two third summer siblings hanging out together out on their own for the first time.

Just got home last night from my second bear photo tour of the summer, and it was as fun as the first!! It has been a great summer for bears so far!

This guy walked over to us and then climbed into the river for a quick cool down! Such a treat when they wait to do such behaviors in close proximity. It shows the trust.

I have scheduled these in advance and should be home soon from another Alaska Bear Photo Tour with lots more photos!

Look at the muddy face! This little cub was really good at digging clams, especially for being a second summer cub. However, instead of pulling the clams out with its claws like adult bears, this little guy would stick it’s face straight into the mud hole to grab the clam!

A sow with a young cub last week on my Alaska Bear Photo Tour. I believe this is a small second summer cub, however a few folks thought this could be a big cub of the year. Either way, it was cute!

So check this out – this isn’t just your usual set of nursing cubs. One of these cubs is this sow’s second summer off-spring, but the other cub is a third summer bear that has been adopted by this sow. As you can see here, they nurse, play, just like maternal siblings. Pretty incredible!

It is so amazing to see full size bears play like this. This is two of a group of four who played a lot last week! I think this is the same group of sub-adults who banded together a couple of years ago for safety and protection. If so, I would say that bond has continued past the age where most adult bears become fairly solitary. So fun!