Bathtub Rest

Glendale River grizzly bears

The weir by the grizzlies feet is the entrance to the man-made spawning channel that is located next to one of the two viewing platform used after August 24th. This grizzly had been fishing on the other side of the weir when it decided to take a rest and climbed over the low barrier and relaxed.

Twofer

bald eagles on a grizzly river

Although bald eagle mate for life that does not mean they sit in the same tree together. While along the shore they are in hunting mode and in separate tree they cover a much larger area. A two for one eagle photo is not that common and the only thing that you can be sure about is that these two are a mating pair as eagle are very territorial.

Extra Day at Grizzly Bear Lodge

wildlife at Trapper Rick's.

The extra day in camp requires a trip across Knight Inlet through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River. This river located on the BC mainland is accessible only by boat and is the home base for Trapper Rick. From Rick’s dock we travel by truck to his cabin over a logging road that does have some traffic but that traffic in created by grizzly bears. We followed this bear down the road for several minutes until it reached its destination and turned into the forest. The roads are a main highway for the bears as travel is easier then forest trails so we are patient and hope for traffic congestion.

August Grizzly Bear

grizzly waiting for salmon

Photo was taken August 27 and the grizzly bear is in the river waiting for the salmon. A little fatter than the bear in yesterdays post but still a long way from fat enough for hibernation. It is just the start of the salmon run so this mother and cub has two months to add the weight necessary for a successful hibernation. If you compare this photo with the post of August 16 it is another cub on a different rock trying to stay dry.

May Grizzly Bear

grizzly bear bc coast

It was the end of May and the first time we saw this grizzly bear along the shore of Knight Inlet. Bears may lose 15-30 % of their body weight during hibernation and this one appears to be closer to the 30% mark. The bears body frame is he same size as the weight is lost from the belly making it have very long legs. I had a guest several years ago say they look like “grizzly dogs” and the term is appropriate. This is a young bear so it was likely that it was not as fat as it could have been for hibernation but fat enough because it did survive.

More Than Wildlife 3 of 3

photographing scenery

This did not require the stopping of the boat for an interesting photo. This was from the front deck of Grizzly Bear Lodge one evening as we had an unusual moon rise. Yes many guests are photographing from dawn to dusk and are very happy in their task.

More Than Wildlife 2 of 3

Knight Inlet, British Columbia.

Unlike yesterdays post with the fog this has a much more dangerous look. It was a morning run up Knight Inlet to watch grizzly bears and as we turned Littleton Point to enter Knight’s we got quite a surprise. The water was calm without a breath of wind and in about fifteen minutes the sun broke through the clouds and the day turned out to be perfect but that fifteen minutes was a little unnerving.

More Than Wildlife 1 of 3

 scenery of  Knight Inlet bc

I have learned over the many years of guiding for Grizzly Bear Lodge to view the area through the eyes of my guests and it never ceases to amaze me the number of times I have requests to stop for photos of scenery. It is important to note that there are a maximum of four guests per boat and on many trip you may have the guide to yourself. To stop for photos you do not need to consult ten or twenty other people you just say STOP and it happens. August frequently has a calm water and foggy start to the day but the fog is normally gone before noon.

Grizzly Mother’s Attention

grizzly bear cub

While waiting for salmon to move up river a grizzly bear visits her cub that is sitting on a rock trying to stay dry. First year grizzly cubs are to young for fishing and do not like to get wet unless absolutely necessary. This cub had been sitting for a while and started to make noises when mother came over to make sure all was OK before she returned to work.

Black Bear Cub Following

black bear on the beach

Black bear cubs tend to stay close to their mother when they are walking the beach. If a noise startles them while we are watching from the boat they run to mother rather than up the beach for cover. They only go up the beach if the mother says and then it is into a tree. As the photo show they are almost synchronized with mother in their walking.