Bears, bears, and more bears...

were observed this morning in Geographic Harbor in Katmai National Park. The Zodiacs were in the water promptly at 8 am and off we went in search of the Alaskan brown bear (also known as a grizzly bear in the interior (Ursus arctus):

The tide was falling which provided optimal conditions for bear encounters, as they wandered from the wooded slopes and out onto the tidal flats in search of clams and mussels.

We were able to approach within 20 to 50 feet of the shore, which yielded tremendous opportunities for photography:

Here's a mother and two cubs:

This mom and her cub were startled by another bear emerging from the forest, and could have cared less about us speaking in hushed voices out in our boats:

They search for clams by smell, and once located begin digging furiously:

They'll even sit down when the digging gets tough:

This cub is finding it difficult to open the clam, and seems to solicit its mother's help:

After about three hours we head back to the ship for lunch, then plan to repeat the experience with additional explorations of Geographic Harbor later this afternoon: