by Max Waugh
The coastal wolves of British Columbia are fairly unique compared to their cousins on the continental interior. They spend a lot of time roaming the shores and coastlines in search of food, accumulating as much as 75% of their diet from tidal areas. Coastal wolves have been known to swim several kilometers when traveling between inlets and islands in search of new territory and hunting grounds.
They were the primary focus of my recent tour, and this encounter was understandably the highlight of the week for our group. After first spotting the wolf from a distance, we were able to approach the shoreline in our Zodiac and see if it would head our direction... which it did soon after we arrived maybe 20 yards off shore. This is nearly full frame, and was really the only moment during the encounter when the wolf paid us any heed at all. Otherwise, it was focused on foraging and quickly forgot about us. A truly special encounter.
Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm + 1.4x
(Mounted on a tripod used as a monopod in a Zodiac, in fairly calm waters)
ISO 800
1/1600th
f/5.6
Max
Comments
10 commentsHey Max,
A cool and very rare encounter - that yielded a very nice shot. Working with these coastal wolves is another kettle fish compared to working with wolves in some other locations. Very nice setting, technically sound, and aesthetically pleasing - nicely done!
I find the pelage on this wolf interesting - a bit off the classic coastal wolf, which often (not always) tend to show more red lower on the animal.
Cheers...
Brad
Thanks Brad. This is a bit lighter but still closer to the coloration of most of the other wolves I've seen in the region (black, as you know, being the secondary dominant color). What I found interesting and exciting was seeing another wolf that was nearly white. It seems like that's much less common among the coastal wolves compared to those found in other areas. Alas, it never came anywhere near this close!
Max
Very classy photo of this wolf. Great detail, color and pose. Seeing it on those rocks makes it special IMHO. A friend of mine was on this trip, hope she got some good photos too. Thanks for sharing.
Don't see how this could be any better. Simply superb.
Mesmerizing reddish eyes.
Hisham.
Max, this is really stunning. What a magnificent moment that must have been for you and your group! Thanks for sharing.
Max,
EXCELLENT
Hello Max
CONGRATS, on a sucessful Wolf Adventure! Not an easy venture but seems to have turned out fine !
Thanks for Sharing.
Bill
www.BillBickle.com
I like the head turn and eye contact. The background is interesting without being distracting.
Nicely done with a great COMP. Shooting a 500 mm with a 1.4x teleconverter from a zodiac must have been a challenge.