Killer Whale “Fin”

Killer Whale fin

This is a little more graceful looking than yesterday’s post especially when it is coming toward the boat. The dorsal fin of a male killer whale is proportionately larger than that of a female. In adult males, the dorsal fin is tall and triangular. Reaching a height of up to 1.8 m (6 ft.) in a large adult male, it is the tallest dorsal fin of all cetaceans. And this photo is a good example of a large male.

Humpback Whale “Fin”

Humpback whale Fin?

This is a humpback whale on its side waving a pectoral fin. This flipper is very long (five meters/yards), between 1/4 and 1/3 the length of its body, and has large knobs on the leading edge. From a distance it can be confused with an orca dorsal fin, which is tomorrow’s post.

 

 

Spring Grizzly Bears Grazing

Spring Grizzly Bear

In the spring the grizzly bears we view on the lodges wilderness tours are primarily grazing or turning over rocks.  They come down to the shores of Knight Inlet to eat the sedge grass, which is very high in protein. This sedge sustains them until the salmon enter the rivers of British Columbia’s coast in mid-August. The morning grizzly bear tour uses 18 to 20 foot boats to travel up Knight Inlet to the Glendale River where we transfer to smaller a boat that allow us to drift along the shore to watch and hear the bears eating. This flat bottom skiff also permits us to follow the grizzly bears up river as the tide rises.

 

 

Humpback Whales Visit

Humpback CloseHumpback whaleFebruary 1st post shows our rest stop at Telegraph Cove on a whale watching day but it is not where we eat lunch. Our picnic lunch is normally in Blackfish Sound where we view most of the humpback whales. We either tie to a kelp bed or drift in open water if there is not much boat traffic. Drifting is my preferred lunch spot as we often have visitors. Unfortunately, in a good way, this frequently extends our lunch break as the whales demand pictures just as we have the picnic spread out and are eating. It is amazing how fast food in hand is replaced with cameras when a whale surfaces close to the boat.

 

 

 

Grizzly approaching with caution 3 of 3

Grizzly bears waiting

Necessary because the grizzlies already fishing for salmon are a mother with two cubs (look closely at the top right corner of the photo) and another large female. This bear is a four or five year old male and they are always cautious around other grizzlies especially a mother with cubs.

Grizzly approaching with caution 1 of 3

Cautious Grizzly Bear

We are in the first viewing stand looking down the finger of land that links us to the second stand. This grizzly bear came up from the natural river and is crossing the track of road on its way to the pool holding the salmon waiting to enter the man made spawning channel. Its first glance is toward our position which is approximately 25 meters (yards) from the bear…