Spotted! Our Neighborhood Bear | Photos

[Dembadon]

The following pictures were taken with my camera from the seat of my car this afternoon - about 200 yards down the road from our house. It waddled across the street about 30 feet in front of our car and I was able to get these three pictures after pulling over and fumbling to get my phone out of my pocket. You can't tell from the pictures, but we recognized it by the blue tag on its ear. It cruises our neighborhood regularly, but we've no idea if it is a male of female. Isn't s/he cute, though? I am bummed that we didn't get higher quality pictures.

 

[Andre]

I am bummed that we didn't get higher quality pictures.

But what can you expect of a iPhone 3GS at 3 megapixel and a piece of glass as lens?

Compare for instance this lynx taken with an old Panasonic FZ-18, a bridge camera at 18x zoom at maybe some 30 feet distance:

The size is reduced to 30%, the original size:

But the critical eye sees some flaws here, the rather strong noise in the back ground and the bokeh - background blur - is crap and distracting from the subject

here is an example of nice bokeh and no noise problem, but you'd have to invest some three time$$ more money for an entry level DSLR like the Canon EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi) with EF 70-300mm IS USM lens (picture reduced to 25%):

 

[Dembadon]

I am bummed that we didn't get higher quality pictures.

But what can you expect of a iPhone 3GS at 3 megapixel and a piece of glass as lens? ...

Oh, of course! I didn't mean to imply that I wished my phone would have produced a higher quality image, just that I wished we would have had a higher quality device in the first place.

By the way, the shots you posted are absolutely beautiful. Do you happen to know the species of the bird in your picture?

 

[Andre]

Ah, I expected a question of how I knew, which device you used for the picture. But that is registered in the Exif data of the picture, which can be read in many photoshop type programs.

The bird is a Chaffinch, rather common in Europe.

 

[MotoH]

Kill it before it kills you!

 

[lisab]

What a cute bear !

 

[Dembadon]

Ah, I expected a question of how I knew, which device you used for the picture. But that is registered in the Exif data of the picture, which can be read in many photoshop type programs. ...

I, admittedly, was actually very curious to know the method that enabled you to so accurately discern the device I used!

Kill it before it kills you!

Or, as Stephen Colbert would say, "I believe all God's creatures have a soul — except bears. Bears are actually Satan's children."

Another classic from Colbert; "[Bears are] giant, marauding, Godless killing machines."

Disclaimer: I love bears.

 

[GeorginaS]

Or, as Stephen Colbert would say, "I believe all God's creatures have a soul — except bears. Bears are actually Satan's children."

Another classic from Colbert; "[Bears are] giant, marauding, Godless killing machines."

Disclaimer: I love bears.

I love bears too. And when you get the opportunity to see them live and in colour in their own habitat wandering about, it's very cool. I've seen a few bears in person that way while fishing in secluded mountain lakes in Jasper. I'll admit that, even at a safe distance, my heart still beat a bit quicker. I'm assuming that's an instinctive response to something that big and that dangerous.

On the subject of Colbert and bears, have you noticed that, while Colbert claims that bears are evil incarnate, he's simultaneously crowned one of his heroes, O'Reilly, "Papa Bear". Food for thought.

 

[Dembadon]

I love bears too. And when you get the opportunity to see them live and in colour in their own habitat wandering about, it's very cool. I've seen a few bears in person that way while fishing in secluded mountain lakes in Jasper. I'll admit that, even at a safe distance, my heart still beat a bit quicker. I'm assuming that's an instinctive response to something that big and that dangerous.

I agree! Even though the bears where I live are not considered to be carnivorous, in some areas of the globe we are still beneath them on the food chain; physiological responses that encourage one to "stay away" are completely logical.

On the subject of Colbert and bears, have you noticed that, while Colbert claims that bears are evil incarnate, he's simultaneously crowned one of his heroes, O'Reilly, "Papa Bear". Food for thought.

Yes! What a wily correlation. It went unmentioned in my previous post that I also love Mr. Colbert. Thank you for illuminating yet another facet of his awesomeness.

 

[turbo]

Nice neighbor! I have to look for tracks down near the stream to see if my bear is still around. I know he/she was around a while back because it ripped the suet-feeders off the eaves in front of the house and ate all the fat. They are square cages made of plastic-coated welded wire and are very sturdy, though not built to keep bears out. I had to buy new ones to keep the birds happy. I have a neighbor who likes to hunt for bear over bait, and I have NOT told him about the bear on my property. He and his sons can hunt deer here if they want, but I'd be pretty ticked if they shot the bear.