Many British Columbia salmon runs are doing better than they have in years. Even local creeks are experiencing bountiful returns.

And it's not just human fishermen reaping the benefit.

A bobcat stopped at a Burnaby, B.C. river bank recently to take a few bites of salmon.

And North Vancouver photographer Mark Bates was there to capture it.

Bates has been shooting wildlife all over the province for decades. He was out taking nature shots last week with a 500-millimetre lens camera when he came upon the wild animal.

"It's the first one I've ever seen so it was very exciting," said Bates.

"It was attracted to come out to the river bank for the chum salmon run. It wanted to get some food. There's lots of salmon around. Some are dead, some are in the last stages and some are still swimming around."

Photographer Mark Bates said it was exciting to spot a young bobcat at a Burnaby B.C. riverbank. (Mark Bates)

Bates said the bobcat seemed to be enjoying its fishing expedition.

"It just seemed at that moment to be like a young cat or a kitten, it seemed very playful to me.

Bates said he stopped at the river because wildlife are frequently drawn to the water. He didn't want to identify the river, which he said feeds into Burnaby Lake, for fear of drawing too many visitors who could disturb the wildlife.

"It does seem like there are a lot of fish, and some pretty big ones, in a lot of streams," he said.

"I know other places are seeing a lot of black bears ... There are sea lions and eagles and other wildlife all feeding on the salmon. It's an interesting thing to study," he said.

"The salmon are part of the whole wildlife food chain and support a lot of other animals."