Female polar bear along the snowy shore of a barrier island along Alaska's arctic coast of the Beaufort Sea, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/320 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, handheld.
This is another frame taken on a recent Arctic photo tour that I co-guide with Hugh Rose. We expanded to two trips this year, due to increased interest. This female polar bear was looking pretty healthy, and had been feeding on carcasses left over from the Autumn Bowhead whale hunt in the native village of Kaktovik. The slushy ice along the shore depicts that freeze up is not far away. She will soon head out on the ice pack in search for seals.
