August 2014 | Page 2 of 3 | Sailcone's Grizzly Bear Lodge

Home > Archives for August 2014 > Page 2

Guess who came to lunch?

August 21, 2014 Lodge Guide

The whale watching day from the lodge requires a fifty-minute boat ride to the area around Johnstone Strait, which is part of the Inside Passage to Alaska. On this day we have a picnic lunch that is normally eaten in the boat as we drift with the whales or other marine life. I am always amazed at the curiosity of these mammals. With the motor turned off and sitting quietly we frequently have visitors. Harbour seals because of their size are a little more timid and less frequent. Steller sealions will approach the boat swimming around and beneath when we have lunch near their “haul out island”.

Looks a bit like a grizzly

August 20, 2014 Lodge Guide

On the boat rides up and down Knight Inlet for the grizzly bear watching day the guides are constantly scanning the shores for black bears. This photo is of one of the few brown black bears observed in the inlet over the years.
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks for British Columbia says:
“Black bears are not always black, and this variation is most apparent in British Columbia. Other colour phases that occur in British Columbia include cinnamon, brown, and blonde. A white-coloured morph, called Kermode or Spirit Bear, is reported most frequently on the north-central coast. The blue phase, or “glacier” bear, is sometimes seen in the extreme northwest corner of the province.” Unfortunately this “brown” black bear is rarely seen in our viewing area.

How tall is the Grizzly

August 19, 2014 Lodge Guide

This photo was taken on August 23rd just two days before our grizzly bear tours are permitted to use the viewing stands on the Glendale River. This grizzly was in the river’s estuary and the guests were in the large skiff used to move up and down the river. The bear was approaching the river and eventually swam across to follow the salmon up river. The grass is at least a meter (three feet) high so this is not a small bear and the stare from the bear means we were within its comfort zone so we drifted down river to let it pass.

Grizzlies are good Mothers

August 18, 2014 Lodge Guide

In human terms we would like to think that this photo shows a love bond between mother and cub although this may be true in this case the cub wanted to nurse. Grizzly cubs generally stay with their mother for two years; some will stay for three or four if she does not become pregnant in the fall of their second year. Grizzly bear are extremely good mothers, and, consistent with the high level of “investment” they make in their cubs to ensure their survival, they are very protective of them. Because of this, encountering a grizzly bear with young can be very dangerous. During the first two years of their lives, the sow will teach her cubs everything they need to know to survive on their own. She will school them in finding and exploiting different food sources, and the cubs spend significant time observing her actions and learning them for themselves.

Beautiful day on the water

August 17, 2014 Lodge Guide

It is only 9:00 and the whale watching trip is off to a good start with a pod of Pacific whitesided dolphins playing with the boats. These dolphins are often in the area and it is a treat when they become playful. A normal day will also include time spend with a pod of northern resident killer whales, Steller sealions basking in the sun and humpback whales feeding on herring. Along the way there will be bald eagles in the trees or feeding, harbour seals, dall porpoises and may be a black bear or two.

River side viewing

August 15, 2014 Lodge Guide

The grizzly bear viewing is not always about grizzlies fishing and eating salmon to fatten for the winter denning. While that is true for the adult bears the cubs in this case two year old cubs are like teenagers and much time is spent in play. Climbing the log jumble gym gives mom time to catch a meal that she can eat without having to share. It seems to work for this family as the photo was taken in late September and all appear to have a healthy layer of fat.

A once in a lifetime photo

August 14, 2014 Lodge Guide

Many really interesting wildlife photos are the result of the right place and right time. And many more you do not know that you have until they are enlarged on a computer screen. This photo was taken when several orca passed beneath the boat and I snapped a series of photos with my fingers crossed. The enlargement shows a calf tucked by its mother’s side. As a mother swims quickly through the water, she forms something called a ‘slipstream’ next to her body as the water rushes past her. If the baby is inside this slipstream, he or she will be carried along with mom.

June Black Bear Cubs

August 13, 2014 Lodge Guide

Whenever we are on the water for a day whether it is a grizzly bear tour, whales watching trip or the extra day at the river we are always scanning the shore for wildlife. Frequently the wildlife found is black bears. On this trip in late June it was a mother and cubs that are about six months old. Two things are interesting the first being that there are three cubs. Triplets for a black bear are rare the common number being one and twins occasionally. The second is all the white on the rock where the barnacles have been removed. Bears come to the shore in search of protein and scraping off and eating barnacles is one source. This appears to be one of their feeding areas.

Sealion or dolphin?

August 12, 2014 Lodge Guide

Interesting experience on a whale watching day in Blackfish Sound. We were traveling beside a pod of Pacific whitesided dolphins when I look behind the boat and snapped a photo of what might have been a dolphin playing in the wake of the boat. It was the second photo that made it clear it was a Steller Sealion copying the dolphins. This Sealion repeated this proposing action eight or ten times and the guests got some great photos. It was the first and last time I saw this behaviour in my twelve years guiding for the lodge. The whale watching tours are in an area that provides opportunities for photos of orca, humpback whales, minke whales, Steller sealions, harbour seas, dolphins, harbour porpoise, dall porpoise as well as black bears, eagles and a variety of ducks.

Good catch

August 11, 2014 Lodge Guide

Grizzly bear viewing on the rivers of BC’s Knight Inlet always presents opportunities for interesting photos. It is rare to see a grizzly standing with a salmon. Normally once the bear has the salmon it starts to eat immediately so it can get back to fishing for the next salmon. This bear seems in good shape but it still has long legs. The long legs means that it does not have the barrel of a fat belly that bears get when they are closer to hibernation that make their legs appear to be short and stumpy. Being that this photo was taken at the end of August with two more months to fatten it is more likely that this bear’s stomach is full for the day. Being that it has been eating sedge grass for most of the summer its stomach has not stretched to accommodate the larger meals.

Bald Eagles

Bald Eagles are frequently sighted in our area. At times they can be seen in large numbers. This is usually where food supplies are high. For example this could be in areas with high concentrations of baitfish or along the rivers in the fall when the salmon are spawning. They are not migratory, but do move around with the food supply. As mentioned earlier when the salmon are spawning we often see many along the rivers, while there will be fewer along the coastline. With little need for camouflage their white head and tail feathers can be spotted easily. The female is slightly larger and her white head extends down a bit farther onto the body, but it is subtle. It takes these birds 4.5 – 5 years to acquire this unique plumage. As juveniles they are a brown colour. With exceptional eyesight and the ability to view 270 degrees they are understandably often seen in high perches and in trees near points and passageways.

Visit our Blog

Sailcone’s Grizzly Bear Lodge

A real west coast

Adventure

**Intimate experiences with**

SMALL GROUP SIZES

See a huge diversity

OF WILDLIFE

Simply Unforgettable

EXPERIENCES

Wildlife moments

TO TREASURE

Grizzly Bear and Wildlife Viewing Blog: Monthly Archives: August 2014