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Black Bear on the beach

Even a black bear must move between rocks in search of food and that is the best time for a good photo. The one constant on every tour that leaves Grizzly Bear Lodge in the morning is that we are always looking for black bears along the shore. Many black bear sightings occur on the whale watching days and occasionally the grizzly bear trips see whales. “Wildlife is where you find it!” a guide’s favourite quote.

 

 

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Black Bear on the beach

The first evening the guests arrive at Grizzly Bear Lodge there is normally a black bear tour in the local area. It is a get to know your guide and boat as well as look for eagles, harbour seals, black bears and other wildlife.  Black bears are on the beach to turnover rocks. This inter-tidal zone “food” is high in protein and is made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The beaches are normally sloped down to the water and being that it is easier to roll rocks downhill this is a common view of a back bear. But again patience and waiting does have its rewards as will tomorrow’s blog post.

 

 

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Grizzlies on Log

The waiting paid off with a bonus – three first year cubs. As in all wildlife viewing patience is necessary.  Wildlife does not have a schedule they may have a routine but the time varies from day to day depending on the height of the tide or other bears in the area. As guest often say this is wildlife viewing not a zoo.

 

 

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Grizzly bear waiting

Not only do the guides and guests wait quietly for marine mammals to appear sometimes it is the grizzly bears waiting. When grizzly bear viewing on the Glendale River in the spring and summer we use a flat bottom skiff which allows us to move up the shallow river as the tide rises. With the motor off and the guide pulling the skiff we are quiet and on first seeing a bear we stop, move to the riverbank. On this day a grizzly came out onto a log so we sat and wait to see what would happen and tomorrow’s post will show you.

 

 

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Humpback whale lunging

Again sitting quietly in an area known as Bold Head we wait for the humpback whales to appear. We do cheat a little because the first thing we do is find a herring ball, which is located by the seagulls diving in the water. Parked near the herring we wait for the whales to come and feed. The feeding is a lunge as the whales come from beneath the herring with their mouth open to engulf the whole herring ball. More waiting tomorrow!

 

 

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orca close to boat

The orca / killer whales in the Grizzly Bear Lodge’s whale safari area are mostly resident or fish eaters although at times we encounter the transient or mammal eaters.  The northern resident orca are located in waters north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island and while the transient orca are more often found in BC coastal inlets. This is a female orca as indicated by the shorter dorsal fin. Sitting quietly while whale watching is the key to many interesting photos. Humpback whale tomorrow.

 

 

Large Male Grizzly Bear

Male Grizzly Bear

The lodge’s grizzly bear watching area in Knight Inlet contains a few large grizzlies.  Nick-named “boss bears” as they go were and when they want.  Although it is nice to see a larger grizzly it is not always the best thing for long-term viewing.  If a large bear is in the area of the lodge viewing stands it is often the only grizzly bear you may see.  The best is to have them make and appearance then move off to the surrounding forest, which is exactly what this bear is doing. Camera’s placed in the area of the stands have shown that many of the larger males do appear after the days viewing times are over.

 

 

Grizzlies PLAY Fighting

Grizzlies fighting

After August 25 our grizzly bear watching tours take place from the viewing stands.  The stands are located on the Glendale River, which empties into British Columbia’s Knight Inlet. The salmon have arrived and are in the river and there is lots of wildlife beside the bears.  Because of the abundance to salmon for food the grizzly bears often take a “time out” to play. These photos could have the captions: “Leave me alone” and a good right hook “Told you I used to box”.

 

 

Steller Sea Lions Pose for Guests

Stellar sea lions

Whale watching safari trips from the Grizzly Bear Lodge include more than humpback whales and orca.  The water-ways between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland abound in marine based wildlife: eagles, large variety of ducks and water fowl, white-sided dolphins, dall’s porpoise, harbour porpoise, harbour seals and of course stellar sea lions. A safari trip without viewing a majority of these is not considered a good day. These steller sea lions migrate between California and Alaska in the spring and fall and in the past few years some have made the area their year round residence.

 

 

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

The morning run up Knight Inlet on the grizzly bear tour is always interesting.  It is a spectral view, Grizzly Bear Lodge is located approximately 20 miles from the mouth, and the grizzly viewing area starts another 25 miles up the inlet, which is about 90 miles long. Eagles are abundant on the morning run this one being in the Glendale estuary the primary grizzly bear viewing area.  Eagles are not always in trees it is not uncommon to watch them pick up a fish from the water and then land on shore to eat the “catch of the day”. This bald eagle with talons open was coming in to catch a late breakfast.