Polar Bear Cubs: Sweet Gestures

Shot at Wat'chee Lodge, 40 miles South of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Canada in March 2012 with the Canon 1D4 Mark IV, 800mm f/4 and 1.4x TC III

Sightings were low this season, down by two thirds from the year before. It was OMG cold and the first time that our cameras kept dying or slowing to a crawl, viewfinders kept fogging up, and frost kept coating the inside of our camera LED windows. Because not many families were spotted, I think that mamas were playing it safe by keeping families below ground in warm dens until the weather got better. Anyway, I felt blessed that we at least found two families - both with adorable twins - even though it was difficult to photograph for very long in these temps. Our yield was low but seeing any polar bear baby was truly special.