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

Eagle Watching While Whale Watching

Eagle in the fog

 

 

 

Bald Eagle in Tree“Bald Eagle watching us from a nearby tree. We saw many Bald Eagles during our time at Grizzly Bear Lodge, but they were so difficult to photograph!!  George maneuvered the boat into the perfect position for us to take this photo.
This photo just sums up the beauty and tranquillity of Knights Inlet – the flat calm water, kelp and a bald eagle on a small island in the early morning mist. Just stunning!!”
I may move the boat but the credit for the photos goes to Lynn.

Great Blue Heron at Grizzly Bear Lodge

Bluse Heron

“Early morning from Grizzly Bear Lodge. We were in total awe of the beauty of the scenery and the silence – this place is just stunning.  The staff, the location, the food – everything was just perfect!
We captured this stunning photo of a Great Blue Heron just by chance as we stood on the jetty waiting for our boat to take us to the Bear viewing platform. The scenery in the early morning mist was just stunning.”
Thank you, Lynn for the compliment although we do try hard we cannot take credit for the scenery.

 

 

Grizzly Bear Enjoying Lunch

Grizzly Eating Salmon

“Bears, bears everywhere. Amazing to see the bears swimming and so relaxed so close to the viewing platforms. This photo was taken from the viewing platform, giving us a good panoramic view of the Bear activity!”“Having a swim and eating lunch at the same time!”  As Lynn indicates the viewing platform used by Grizzly Bear Lodge provides a view of the natural river as well as the entrance to the spawning channel. Grizzly bears spend time fishing in both areas the choice depends on the number of bears in the area as well as the concentration of salmon.

 

 

Salmon waiting to spawn

Salmon

The entrance to the spawning channel is directly below the viewing stand used by the lodge after August 24th. The salmon wait in this area before they proceed over the weir which is the entrance to the man made channel that was built to increase the success of the pink salmon’s spawning in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River.

 

Grizzlies Fiahing in Knight Inlet

Grizzly with a salmon

Lynn’s comment:   “Just caught that Salmon!! It was fascinating watching the bear’s fish. We couldn’t believe how many Salmon those bears caught and ate.  They just kept eating!  The river was just like a soup of Salmon.”
The grizzly bear watching day takes you on a ride up Knight Inlet to Glendale River. After August 24th the viewing takes place from the stands, which overlook he, entrance to the man made spawning channel. This is where the grizzlies come to fish, eat and fatten for the winter. For “salmon soup” see tomorrow’s post.

 

Fly in Lodge – from Campbell River

View from Airplane

As Lynn of the UK says “Stunning views of beautiful Knights Inlet from the float plane. We were so sad to leave after an unforgettable few days. We will be back!!”  A view of coastal British Columbia’s scenery is part of the bonus of flying into Grizzly Bear Lodge.  There are many “TV” shows about flying over England, Ireland, Canada etc. ours is included and in the 45-minute flight from Campbell River.

 

Extra Day at Trapper Rick’s

Knight Inlet BC

Bob and Helen chose to spend an extra day in camp.  That day we cross Knight Inlet travel through Thompson Sound (the location of the above photo) to the Kakweikan River and spend a day with Trapper Rick.  And yes the water is normally that calm on the way to Rick’s as in Thompson Sound the wind travels across the sound and not its length. The Kakweikan River is located on the BC mainland and once we reach the river mouth we travel by road to Rick’s cabin. The day allows for short hikes, salmon fishing on the river, scenic photography, time at Rick’s cabin, as well as looking for some grizzly bears.

 

Stellar sea lion at rest

Stellar sealions

Bob and Helen Everson captured a quite moment in the stellar sea lion rookery.  A few sea lions are in our viewing area all year however the prime time is spring and fall. The stellar sea lions that migrate between California and Alaska use the waters off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as feeding and resting area on their migratory route. The rookery is normally a hub of noise and activity as sea lions fight for prime real estate in the rookery and the juveniles thrash about in the water. Although there may be an absence of noise I can assure you the same is not for the smell.

 

Grizzly Mother with catch

grizzly fishing

This grizzly bear uses the same method as the cub from yesterday’s posting. She sits in a deep (1 to 2 meters – 3 to 6 feet) area of the river and picks up the dead salmon off the bottom. She does not even bother to look into the water but rather reaches down and pulls up salmon until she has one that meets her criterion of eatable. The calorie value of salmon does not change if it is several days old but the amount of calories burned to catch the salmon makes a difference. The grizzly bears of central British Columbia do not have this source of food to fatten for the winter so “waste not want not” seems a good policy.