I did an early morning flight (4 am) in Egypt. There were other balloons around and the sunrise to photograph. It was interesting to get shots of the things on the ground from above and in the air which I would never have got had I not had the hot air balloon flight...
Very nice peaceful result...
Pictures look a bit odd to me and I understand that pole bears are solitary animals until mating time and do not live in packs...
I think given the circumstances that you were prepared camera wise to shoot bif they are very good. I love the way the ripples have been caught. Had you tried th change settings you would have lost the shots..