Grizzly Bear and Wildlife Tour Blog

We offer an exceptional fly-in lodge for Grizzly Bear Watching and Whale Watching in British Columbia.

Learn about What’s happening at the Lodge, view our British Columbia’s Wildlife Report, read our Grizzly Bear Watching Blog and Whale Watching Blog. Learn more about a Day on the River Blog, see Our Tour Guide’s Photos & Blog and  Photos from Our Guests.

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.

Biggs Orca

In our area we have two types of Orca. We have the residents and the Biggs (aka transient). Although quite similar in size and appearance their behaviour is quite different. The resident Orca show up in the summer and usually remain in the area until the fall. The Residents feed exclusively on fish, and enter the area to feed on salmon. Their primary food source is the chinook salmon, which is the largest of the 5 species. To a lesser extend they also feed on other types of salmon, lingcod, squid and various other species of fish. They will never feed on marine mammals and despite their name tend to leave the area during the winter months. They are very social and often vocalise. On the other hand the Biggs can be spotted year-round. They feed on marine mammals with harbour seals (like the ones in the picture) being their main food source, although propose, dolphins, sea lions and otters are also commonly on the menu. These animals are much “stealthier”, traveling quickly and vocalising much less. This is because they are on the hunt for mammals which can detect their calls. The Biggs below circled this particular rock several times, but in this case were unsuccessful in catching a seal off guard.

The Biggs Orca were named after Dr. Micheal Bigg who pioneered Orca research in the area. He realised that individual whales can be identified by their dorsal fin and saddle patch. This led to the creation of a thorough catalogue of animals and their family structures, which are organised by clans, pods and matrilines.

Coastal Grizzly Bear Viewing

At the lodge our style of bear viewing changes with the season. In the spring and early summer we spend a lot of time in the river estuaries as the bears feed on sedge grasses. As the salmon arrive, we spend more time up the river systems viewing the bears as they try and fill up on the high protein salmon. One food source that is available to the bears throughout our season is the intertidal. When the tide is out there is a huge amount of protein available in the areas of the coastline between the high and low tide line. Some favourites include shore crab, mussels, barnacles as well as eels and other small fish. Both Black and Grizzly Bears utilise this important food source. Whenever we are travelling (particularly when the tide is out) it always is a good idea to keep a keen eye on the shoreline.

Speedy Dalls Porpoise

dalls porpoise

When we are on our whale watching tours it is fairly common to spot Dalls Porpoise. They are often seen slowly rises to the surface, but can take off at high speeds, reaching speeds of over 50KMPH. This speed is used for feeding, socialising and for escaping Biggs Orca. The have a thick body and distinct black and white colouring. We have two species of porpoise in our area, the Dalls and the Harbour Porpoise. Although they resemble dolphins in some ways they are not closely related. Dolphins have elongated heads, forming their beak, while porpoise have a much flatter head. Dolphins have cone shaped teeth, while porpoises have spade shaped teeth. In addition dolphins tend to be seen in larger groups and are generally more social. An interesting development is that Harbour and Dalls Porpoise do sometimes interbreed, leading to a Hybrid, which has been documented in our area.

Ravens and Bears

The relationship between Ravens and Bears is an interesting one. Both crows and ravens are commonly seen near Black and Grizzly Bears. The reason for this is simple, easy food. Often bears will leave scraps of fish, mussels or other food sources. It some cases we may see ravens on a river, but no bear. Often with a little patience the bear will emerge behind a log or rock. The birds tend to sit above the bear whenever possible, swooping in when they have an opportunity for easy food. Much like the gulls in the strait indicating where marine life may be, the ravens can help us find the bears.

Sea Otter Sightings

The last 3 years we have been starting to view sea otters in our area more regularly. They are still often a distance away, but the sightings are increasing with some “rafts” of them developing in areas near the western portion of our whale watching trips. These animals were hunted heavily for their fur and were completely wiped out of British Columbia waters. Re-introduction occurred from Alaskan otters in the 1960’s. They have long been protected and their numbers have been steadily increasing along the exposed BC coast and are now moving back into inside waters. They are unique in that they don’t have the insulating blubber that other marine mammals use to keep warm. As a result they have dense (over 1 million hairs per square inch) fur and feed heavily. They are important in balancing the eco-system. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which eat a lot of kelp. Kelp is extremely important as it provides cover for juvenile fish and is where the herring spawn in the early spring. With the increase in these otters we are seeing a greater abundance and healthier kelp forests.

Bald Eagle Swooping In

Eagles are a common sighting around the lodge and on our tours. They eat a variety of foods, but are often sighted. looking for schooling fish such as herring and will frequent the salmon rivers when the fish are running. They mate for life an it is not unusual to see a mating pair. They are hard to distinguish on their own, but when side by side the female is slightly larger and the white feathers on her head tend to come down a bit lower on the neck. With their 5-6′ wingspan they are always impressive when they come down to the water in search of food.

Grizzly Bear Swimming

People often ask us if bears swim? It is fairly common to see both Black and Grizzly Bears swimming. Sometimes this may be a means of crossing a river, jumping from one island to another, or in this case going around a steep bluff. Due to our coast line and abundance of islands basically all of the larger mammals that we view do swim. Deer, wolves, and even cougars will swim from island to island in search of food, although many of these sightings are extremely rare. Bears are extremely buoyant so they have no problem paddling across relatively large distances, although they do tend to favour shorter crossings when possible.

Humpback Whale Identification

ID’s of the local whales

We are fortunate to have dedicated colleges and societies in our area such as the Marine Education and Research Society. The Humpback Whales in our area are identified by both the underside of the fluke and the dorsal region. Unique pigmentation, shapes and markings allow these animals to be positively identified and catalogued. We know that the majority of the whales in our area migrate to Hawaii to mate and have their calves before returning to the colder, richer waters of British Columbia to feed. This is a familiar whale is named “Lucky”. The scaring you see is from escaping an Orca attack when she was younger. She has grown from when she was likely attacked as a calf, so the scrapes (rake marks) from the Orca teeth appear wider apart then they should, but this is just because she has grown. So wonderful to have so many of these amazing animals back in our waters.

A Whale’s Tail

humpback whales feeding

Over the past seven years our whale watching area has become a feeding area for humpback whales. In the past we were lucky it see one whale on a viewing day while now if we do not see to eight or ten different whales we think it is a slow day. The feeding aspect means there is also lunge feeding, much diving with good tail shows as well as breaching that is very hard to catch on camera.