Meals 3 of 3

Grizzly Bear Lodge DinnerGrizzly bear lodge is noted for it’s good food (check out TripAdvisor). Meals are eaten with the guides and the rule is “What happens in the boat stays in the boat unless it is mentioned by the guests then all is fair.”. Dinner can last for hours as the table becomes a discussion of the days activities as well as a means to solving all the world problems.

First Evening Tour 2 of 3

black bear tour…your black bear / wildlife tour which takes place on your first evening in Grizzly Bear Lodge. It is a get to know your boat / guide / area tour that, last about an hour and half in the local area looking for black bears. Depending on the time in the season and the height of the tide the tour may be before or after dinner…

New Guest Arrive 1 of 3

seaplane arrivesNew guests arrive from Campbell River between 3:30 and 4:00 after a forty-five minute flight. Once the plane is unloaded the guest move to the lodge were they are assigned rooms. Then it is to the front deck for a snack of fresh dungeness crab or prawns, cheeses, crackers, dips, coffee, tea, soft drinks or beer. After Angus answers questions and gives his “talk” about the operation of the lodge, outlines the days itineraries, floater suits are tried on you are ready for…..

Grizzly Bear in the River

Grizzly Bears are very comfortable in the water.  When the salmon are running they spend a great deal of time in the river often swimming across it multiple times.  They are also excellent long distance swimmers easily swimming across Knight Inlet, which is approximately 1 mile wide.  Thanks to Britt for the picture

Grizzly Bear in the Estuary

This young Grizzly Bear is standing in the river estuary likely looking for salmon.  Tides play a huge roll in these shallow river estuaries.  At high tide the water will be right up to the sedge grass in the background covering the area where the bear is standing.  At this time the water is deeper and the salmon are able to pass through the lower river easily.  When the tide is low the fish are much more exposed and bears will take advantage of this as they struggle up the shallow riffles.

Humpback Whale ID

The Humpback Whales that frequent the waters near the lodge are migratory.  Most of the whales in our area head to Hawaii in the winter to mate and have their calves.  Biologists are able to identify these whales by taking pictures of the underside of their fluke (tail).  These markings are unique and once the whale is mature will not change.  They are catalogued and separated according to region and the percentage of white and dark colours.  This whale is known as “Guardian.”  She is frequently spotted in our waters and has been returning for several years.

For The Birds Pt4

Here are a few more common birds in the estuary and Knight Inlet area.  The Merganser, Common Loon and Surf Scooter.  The Surf Scooter often arrive in mid September in large numbers.  The male’s are quite striking.  The cruise the rocky cliffs of Knight Inlet eating large numbers of mussels.

For The Brids Pt3

These are a few birds that we see often in the estuary and main river while we are looking for Grizzly Bears.  The American Dipper, Cedar Waxwing and Belted Kingfisher.  The Kingfisher is particularly common and can be heard and seen in many areas including right by the lodge.


For The Birds Pt2

The Great Blue Heron is another bird that we see commonly on out tours.  Like the eagle they are opportunistic feeders and are quite proficient at catching small fish.  In the ocean they will often sit on kelp or logs and look for unsuspecting fish.  In the rivers they hunt for fry (young salmon) and other small fish such as stickleback.  Thanks to Felix for the great picture.

great blue heron