Russian Brown Bears and Wolverines

Khumo is a small town in Finland. Wild Brown Bear is a lodge just 2 Km from the Russian border near a buffer zone that is really a no mans land.

This is the lodge in Finland. The way it works is, you sleep here the first night, then you sleep in a hide in the forest for the rest of your trip returning to the lodge each day for meals.

This is the reception complete with restaurant, conference room, reading rooms and plenty of photos taken over the recent years of the various wildlife.

This is the conference center.

The conference center overlooks this beautiful lake. The lake is full of pike perch and other types of freshwater species.

The rooms are along a hall way like this one. Most are in suite and all are very comfortable.

The hides are strategically placed along a lake and in the forest to afford the most dramatic back drops for photographers.

This is a typical hide. The have bunk beds and mattresses so you can snooze or sleep through the night. This allows you to photograph right up until dark and at first light in the morning. The hides are about 700 meters from the lodge.

This will give you an idea of what the hides look like. They are done professionally, complete with chairs, water, and sandwiches.

The bears can show up anytime. We found they like to come around just before dusk. That made photographing a challenge but lot's of fun. In Finland baiting bears is legal. The bait is put out everyday in strategic locations and  the bears go from place to place to find the snacks.

This practice is illegal in the USA and Alaska. Some people have gone to prison for feeding bears. Imagine standing in line at the chow hall of Folsom Prison with Gang members from M13, the Crips, the Bloods, the AB and others. "Hey man what you in for?" Huh? Me? Oh , well I'm in for feeding.  What's that, drugs?  Well not really. I was feeding Bears. Bears? Never heard of that gang. Where's their turf. "UH, it's around Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, etc. "Never heard of those towns. They near Miami? No, a little west of Miami and then north.

Anyway. No problem in Finland.

I had to ask the owner Ari Saanski. Ever had a bear attack a tourist in Finland? No! They don't associate food with people? No? Hmmmm! In the USA they attack people all the time. Maybe they associate them with hunting! Anyway I let it go. No sense in trying to explain the inexplicable.

We even saw the European Wolf. That was a great site.

What I really wanted to see was a Wolverine. In all the years I've spent in the back country I have never seen one. Check these photos out!

I loved to watch these guys. They are fast. They never walk. They run everywhere. They are very shy and very wary. They can sneak right next to your hide then disappear in a flash. It was a great experience trying to get these guys on camera. There were other photo ops as well. This Red Fox came in to check us out one day.

The birds were everywhere. He are a few we managed to get images of.

I took a walk in the forest one day by myself just to relax.

I had no idea an undocumented Russian had ran across the border through the no mans land. There are all kinds of high tech sensors and cameras there and a fine of 350 Euros if you are found past the warning signs. As I was walking out of the forest a blue official looking van with emergency lights pulled up. Two border patrol officers said "Stay where you are." They said "Do you speak English?" Taking the  advice of my Lawyer friend in Montana. "If they ask you "Do you know what time it is. You answer "yes". Then "if" they ask what time it is, you say "5:30" for example.  So I said YES. They asked where are you from? Now that's complicated. If I said Africa they would have probably jumped on me. Putin and Obama aren't getting along. They probably never heard of Panama. So I said "from over there in the woods" pointing to where the lodge was. They asked "What is the name of the Lodge?" I said WILD BROWN BEAR. It is the only one. They said OK go on. Apparently no Russian would have known the name of a lodge just 2 Km from his border. I walked on. I was in Finland for just 3 days and stopped by the authorities already.   That is a record even for me. It usually takes me a week or more.  

The scenery there is beautiful. The lakes, the marshes, the trees. It really is a little paradise.

Well that just about rounds out the trip. We had a great time. Bears, Wolverines, Border Patrol, and beautiful weather. What more could we ask for. I'm off to a game reserve in South Africa called "Thorny Bush". Lots of Nat Geo movies are made there. If I'm lucky I'll put up another blog in a week or two. Thanks for tuning in. I hope you enjoyed it. All the best.

It has been awhile since I've updated this blog. I've been busy building a bird hide and taking care of babies. Remember this baby?

Well he's not a little baby anymore. Now he's a big baby!

He's very independent now and has a girl friend. He still comes by for a snack about two thirds of the time, but the rest of the time he's out and about.

I have built a nice bird hide over the water on my dam. The bird life is amazing. Here are a few photos you might enjoy. Just click on anyone and they should enlarge for easier viewing.

One big gulp and it's down the hatch!

Check out this next photo! Look closely.

The fish eats insects in the water, the bird eats the fish, the insects eat the bird! Look closely under his bill. See the ticks sucking his blood!! I'm sure there must be a moral to this story. I just don't know what it is.

There are always newborns hanging around the house. This is a Water Buck with her little one.

When it rains the frogs go crazy. It is deafening to listen to them. They keep it up for several nights.

We have a new baby to take care of. This baby rabbit was kept in a box and taken out only for the kids to play with. They played too ruff and badly broke the rabbits leg. The leg had to be amputated.

The vet called us and asked if we had room for another baby. We said why not. So, now our squirrel has a friend and visa versa.

When we got the rabbit he weighed 400 grams. Now he weighs over one kilo. The giraffes around our house are as common as chop sticks in China. Sometimes the light just begs for a photo. This was one of those days.

In their infinite wisdom, Kruger National Park has closed all of its man made water holes. Our dam is one of the few still left open in this area. The elephants have picked up on that and are now regular guests in our front yard.

Being a photographer of sorts I couldn't resist trying to get up close to these guys. I sneaked through the bust to the bird hide near the edge of the water.

The hide looked like a safe place to take a couple of pics.

The problem was one of the elephants spotted me on the walkway.

I quickly jumped inside the hide. It looked very sturdy and I thought it would be good place to hide. The problem was the elephants didn't run off. If fact they came over to the hide to see what was going on. The closer they got the more flimsy the hide looked.

They just kept coming!

Soon they were so close I couldn't take anymore photos. In fact I could have reached out of the camera hole and touched one.

These guys were as tall as the hide. I realized too late that they could have pushed the hide and me right into the water. Looking out the other side I could see Psycho our pet Nile Crocodile.

Now he likes me a lot. Seasoned or unseasoned it would make no difference to him. I was starting to sweat. The elephants put their trunks right up to the camera holes a sniffed a deep sniff just to let me know I wasn't hiding from anyone. They were very gentle. They ate some of the tree branches that hung over the walkway and some of the green grass under the hide. After awhile they moved off into the bush and I exited the hide. It was exciting. Once, but I won't do it again.

This is a Boom Slang. It is a very poisonous variety. It is however non aggressive and rarely strikes unless provoked. He was laying on top of my front gate. I couldn't resist the temptation for a quick pic.

We took a trip to the Kalahari last week. We were the only people in the area. That's the way I like it. It was near freezing at night but nice during the day. We tented as usual and cooked outdoors.

The Kalahari light is famous for its beautiful orange glow in the early morning and late afternoons.

We were here to photograph lions. We tried a new technique. We get about 15 meters from the cats, get out of the car, lay on the ground and get that most appealing eye to eye photo that looks so special. The trick is to get back into the car before they get you. Here are some photos you may enjoy.

Lions breeding are interesting to watch. It starts out very tenderly, but it ends up like a bitter divorce.

Sometimes they just pose for the camera. It's just the luck of the draw.

These two are sisters and just playing.

When we went back to the camp later that morning we got a big surprise. While I was cooking I heard Pepi yell "LOOK OVER HERE QUICK". I could tell by her voice it was serious. I baby lion cub walked into the camp and sat down next to the table like a puppy.

She stared calling for Mom. The hair on my neck stood up straight. If mom hears her she will come charging in, blinded by rage and ready to attack anything that moves. I held my breath. No mom!
Now what?

We had to get it back to its mom. We took her over to the water hole and placed her in some thick bush.

We backed off and stood watch all day to be sure no other predators would harm her. Just as it got dark the pride started roaring in the distance. The cub headed straight for the sound. The next day we saw a female hanging in the area. We assume it was the mother. We don't know for sure but we hope they were reunited. It could have ended much worse.

The animals in that area are beautiful. The light makes every photo a magical moment.

This Springbok looked so appealing in this morning light.

These are Kudu. They are the most regal looking antelope in the Kalahari. They grow huge in that area with long spiraling horns.

This Gemsbok has horns as long as his body. It is one of the lions favorite prey.

The giraffe are plentiful in the Kalahari and amazingly curious. They will walk up to a car and just stare. They keep getting closer and closer until one decides it's had enough. Then they just turn and walk away.

The bird life around the watering hole is something to behold. They all arrive at different times of the day. Some drink at daybreak, others through out the day. The vultures show up at noon. You can set your watch by it.

Well that's about all there is. In August we will be in Kuhmo. Where the hell is that? Check in on us in late August and we will fill you in on all the details. Have a great day and take care.