North America
Nick has only relatively recently started visiting areas in North America, but based on the places visited and subject matter encountered so far, he wishes he had started sooner.
Yellowstone was the world's first national park and remains as iconic and beautiful as ever. It supports significant populations of large mammals, with the Lamar Valley in particular being renowned, at various times of the year, for herds of Bison and Elk and consequently Wolves also. Indeed this area in the park's north east corner is sometimes likened to a North American equivalent to the Serengeti.
British Columbia's Pacific north west supports one of the largest and richest remaining tracts of unspoiled temperate rainforest left in the world. Known, rather evokatively as the Great Bear Rainforest, this area of towering conifers, swirling sea mists and luxuriant growth of mosses and lichens stirs a sense of timelessness. This is the home of the Spirit or Kermode Bear and almost mythical animal that wanders ghost-like through the forest and is rarely seen.
In contrast, Polar Bears are amongst the most photographed of all mammals. But we're so used to seeing them in the depth of winter. In August and September they gather on the shores of Hudson Bay, in a rather different context - amongst autumnal willows on the coastal tundra. Nick has made two trips to see them at this time and his photos reveal a very familiar animal in a very unfamiliar setting.
