January 2015 | Page 3 of 3 | Sailcone's Grizzly Bear Lodge

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Home > Archives for January 2015 > Page 3

How Many Grizzlies?

January 9, 2015 Lodge Guide

Spring grizzly bear viewing from the lodge can become interesting. We travel up Knight Inlet to the Glendale River and transfer to s 5.5 meter (16 ft.) skiff to move in the shallow waters along shore and into the river estuary. As we move up the river we encounter grizzlies coming out of the tall sedge grass. We were about 30 meters (90 ft.) away from these bears when I used my small camera to get a photo of the bear in the river plus the four on the far river bank. The bears did all come into the river and the guest with their “good” camera got pictures and memories.

Visiting Humpback Whales

January 5, 2015 Lodge Guide

The lodge’s whale watching is takes places on the waters between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland. An area around Telegraph Cove on the Johnstone Strait. Humpback whales and calves are becoming a more common sight in our viewing area. They arrive in the waters off the East Coast of Vancouver Island in the spring and feed in the area until late October. In this photo one of our boats was sitting quietly watching another humpback whale when this mother and calf came for a visit.

Pacific Whitesided Dolphins

January 3, 2015 Lodge Guide

The waters between Vancouver Island and mainland BC contain an abundance of marine life. Frequently while traveling Knight Inlet between the lodge and the grizzly viewing area we encounter large pods of whitesided dolphins. When you are seeing pods of several hundred whitesided dolphins it is mostly aim and click and HOPE.

Grizzly Bear Watching Us?

January 2, 2015 Lodge Guide

Knight Inlet is north of Campbell River on mainland BC off the east shore of Vancouver Island. Our lodge on Minstrel Island is approximately 20 kilometers from the mouth of Knight Inlet. A further 25 kilometers up the inlet and you are at the viewing area. The fall viewing stands provide great photo opportunities of grizzly bears feeding on the salmon. Some of the bears seem to be posing for the camera but their main interest in eating as “den time” is not that far away. The white shape in the water behind the bear is a dead salmon. This grizzly sat in the pool below the viewing stands and picked salmon of the bottom and wasted few calories doing so, which means more fat.

Grizzly Bears also enjoy flowers

January 1, 2015 Lodge Guide

Our lodge is located between Vancouver Island and mainland BC on Knight Inlet a forty five-minute plane ride from Campbell River. The grizzly bears are normally viewed “up” the inlet from the lodge on the Glendale River. In the fall the bears are feeding on the salmon in the river as the photo shows even a grizzly seems to pause in the meal to enjoy a flower.

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.