Ramsey Canyon Black Bear

• Read about the rest of this Fun Birding Workshop Hummingbird Special.

On our arrival at Ramsey Canyon, Jenise Porter, Roy and Janet May and I were told that a mother bear with a couple of year-old cubs (a black one and a cinnamon one) had been seen in the area, so we should be vigilant. Moments after leaving the visitor center and entering the canyon, Jenise spotted a BLACK BEAR near the trail up ahead, the cinnamon cub. I was thrilled! I’d never seen a bear in the wild in Arizona before and had felt I was overdue. As if to make up for my lack of previous bear sightings, this amiable character allowed a close approach and spent the next 90 minutes foraging around the base of an oak tree before climbing the tree in seconds and feeding on early acorns. It was a fantastic experience! The lighting was far from perfect but I took hundreds of photos and ended up with a few half decent ones.

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)

Black Bear (Cinnamon form)