On the better evenings we may find a grizzly with cubs. Over the past five years the numbers of the grizzlies in the area near Grizzly Bear Lodge (named for a reason) has increased dramatically. The grizzly population of Knight Inlet is on the increase and the young males and mothers with cubs are moving down the inlet closer to the lodge. The competition for food forces the bears into areas they previously avoided and this makes the evening viewing much more interesting.
On your first evening at Grizzly Bear Lodge once rooms have been assigned, you are settled in, had your snack of fresh seafood (prawns or crab), dip, crackers, cheese etc., and Angus has given his welcome talk that outlines you itinerary it is finally time for your first tour. The first tour is a short wildlife viewing trip of an hour plus depending on what we find. The goal is to locate black bears that use the beaches as their buffet. Some nights we are lucky and have a good show often with a mother and cub other evenings it is even better as tomorrow’s post shows….
….the second is the bear with a salmon in its mouth. Note: I used (Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom) that does not have a great zoom feature but I know the guests got great pictures. It is an interesting sensation watching a grizzly when the river is not that deep and the bear could cross without much effort. And even though Rick knows the grizzlies and has spent twenty years on the river he is still armed and prepared.
Your extra day at the lodge is a tour with Trapper Rick who is cross Knight Inlet, through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River. This remote river is located on the BC mainland and we travel by road, cross a river by boat and a short level hike to Rick’s cabin. Just below the cabin about 200 meters (yards) on the river one is able to sit and overlook and area where the grizzly bears come to fish salmon. The first photo shows guests looking across the river….
There were four or five orca close to the stern of the boat but I only managed to catch one in the photo. Some times the grass is green on the other side of the fence.
On or whale watching trips we travel to BC’s Johnstone Strait area to watch (visit) the killer whales but some days we are the ones being visited. If you use the map mentioned in yesterday’s post you will be able to view the whale watching area. On this day I was photographing orcas near the bow of the boat with one of the guests and turned to call the other guest to come forward and found that it was not necessary. See tomorrow’s post…
The fall grizzly bear watching trips are from two viewing platforms located on a man made spawning channel adjacent to the Glendale River. If you go to to “Categories” and select “Wildlife Tour Itinerary” and follow the instructions you will have an excellent aerial view of the platforms. The platforms are about 3 meters (10 feet) off the ground, covered with room form eight to ten people but we limit tours to a maxim of five. The bears are fishing for salmon although they do stop to eat grass and berries.
Spring grizzly bear tours are from mid-May to August 24th. This is the date we are permitted to use the viewing platform on the Glendale River. The spring tours are along the shore of Knight Inlet, Glendale Cove and in the Glendale River. Along the Inlet the grizzlies scrap the barnacles and muscles from the rocks as shown in the photo. In the Cove they turn over rocks. This inter-tidal zone “food” is high in protein and is made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The “beach food” is important because plant food is relatively scarce during spring and bears will continue to loose weight until well into June. In the river they graze on sedge grass, dig root, and enjoy the berry patches. There is allot of activity along the shore and the grizzlies are close and at eye level for good photos.
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.
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