Grizzly Bear and Wildlife Viewing Blog: Monthly Archives: March 2015

Pre-Salmon Grizzly Bear

Grizzlies on the beach

This is a healthy spring / early summer grizzly. Grizzly bear viewing from Grizzly Bear Lodge is divided into two seasons, which are marked by the date August 25th. On the 25th we are permitted to use the viewing stands located on a man-made salmon spawning on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River. Prior to this date our viewing is along the shore of the river’s estuary and in the river. This photo is from the shore in August prior to the arrival of the salmon. Once the salmon arrive we spend more time in the river and the bears start to show sign of the feeding on the salmon. The most obvious sign is much shorter legs. That is another way of saying that the grizzlies are starting to fatten and the size of their belly makes the legs appear shorter.

 

My Camera vs guest camera 2 of 2

Humpback lunge

Comparing yesterday’s post and today’s there is not much room for a comment. The only comment is that we often view a dozen of more different humpback whales each day and frequently they are lunge feeding close to our boat, which provides opportunities for “bucket list” photographs.

 

My Camera vs guest camera 1 of 2

Humpback Whales lunging

My camera is a smaller Pentax Optio waterproof camera that is great for getting the perspective and a close up if the object is close. Also good or grandkids and general scenery. Tomorrow’s post the guest’s photo.

 

Visiting stellar sea lions

Stellar Sea Lion

There are stellar sea lion in the lodge’s whale watching viewing area all year but they are more abundant in the spring and fall as they pass through on their migration between Alaska and California. We make a point of stopping to watch the sea lions on their “haul out rocks” and at times they make a point of coming to visit our boat. Sea lions like many marine mammals are curious and will approach your boat if you are sitting quietly. However this is a little closer than normal but then it was a calm day on the water and we were near a school of herring.

 

Grizzly flaying a salmon

Skinning a salmon

From Wikipedia: “Flaying, also known colloquially as skinning, is the removal of skin from the body. Generally, an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact.” This grizzly is doing an excellent job of flaying the salmon but I do not think that keeping the skin intact is important. The skin is often the first part of the salmon eaten not because it needs to be removed to get to the flesh but because of the layer of fat located directly beneath the skin. If the bears are selective in their eating because of the abundance of salmon or they are becoming full they will eat the skin, the brain and the roe (eggs) and leave the remainder of the salmon for the seagulls, bald eagles or other scavengers.

 

Grizzly mother sharing with triplets

Grizzly bears sharing salmon

The first year grizzly cubs we encounter in the viewing area of
Knight’s Inlet British Columbia are not normally able to catch their own salmon. Especially when the fishing requires them to be in the deeper water adjacent to the viewing platform, deep for them but not their mother. The adult grizzlies are able to pick salmon off the bottom that died because of the low water this summer that permitted the water temperature to rise and reduced the oxygen level to drop. Our viewing platform is located on the Glendale River, which is located, and hour and fifteen minute boat ride up Knight Inlet from the lodge.

 

Killer Whales – Blackfish – Orca

Killer whales

Killer whale is the tourist / media name, Orcinus orca is the scientific name, and Blackfish is the name I grew up knowing. Growing up and fishing in Campbell River on BC’s Vancouver Island orca were frequently in the area. At that time in the 1950’s and for years to come the name used by local was Blackfish. It was not until the mid 1960’s and on the name killer whale came into common use.  After the first orca was captured in 1964 and for the first time, newspapers and magazines including Reader’s Digest, Life, The Times of London, and the Victoria Times gave some positive press about killer whales the name started to become popular. It is not hard to see that a tour or a visit to see a Blackfish did not seem to attract much interest whereas killer whale was media gold.

 

A view form the platform

Grizzly bears fighting

The viewing platform use by Grizzly Bear Lodge is located overlooking the salmon holding area which is the entrance to a man-made spawning channel. The February 21st posting shows the abundance of salmon in this area and it is quite common that after the grizzlies (especially the sub-adult bears) have had their fill of salmon they start to play fight. This fighting is a family “thing” the bears do not normally interact with bears outside the family unit. On this day the fighting lasted about fifteen minutes before they moved the river likely to have a mid-morning rest (nap).

 

Grizzly mother and three cubs

Grizzly Bears in river

Prior to having access to the viewing stands on August 25th Grizzly Bear Lodge tours are in the river estuary and the tidal portion of the Glendale River. On this day our first sighting was a mother grizzly waiting in the river for salmon to swim close but after we had watched for a while it seemed more like she was in the river to get away from her second year cubs. The three cubs were in constant battle along the shore and in the water. When they spend that much time playing you know they are well fed and mom just wants some quite for a time. May need to click on the photo to view the grizzlies to the right.

 

Bald Eagles 2 of 2

Bald eagles

Unlike the bald eagle in yesterday’s post these eagles are working for their food. It is hard to get a photo that does justice to the sight we saw in July on a whale watching safari in the Johnstone Strait area. A large herring ball had formed and the bald eagles came from the surrounding shore and started feeding. At one time there were more than twenty-five eagles in the air. The adult would dive down and pick up herring with the juvenile eagle right behind. We soon realized we were watching a training session for the young eagles.  We could not move close to the herring ball or it would disperse and it is hard to get good photo of flying birds from a distance so we took as few quick photos and enjoyed the sight.