A Very Rare Bear Photo

grizzly bear nurse three cubs

This photo provided by a guest is the only time I have seen a grizzly bear nursing in such an open area. Often they will be in the taller grass or in the driftwood up the beach where photos “suggest” that they are nursing. This is pretty clear and the guests know it was special as we reminded them often enough.

A Killer Whale’s “What’s up?”

spyhopping killer whales

Spy hopping is coming out of the water and staying above the surface the same way a human treads water. Some adult male killer whales spy hop for longer periods of time and get as much as half of its body above the surface of the water. Orcas spy hop to examine its surroundings and it is believed that an Orca can see as well above the surface as it can below. If an Orca hears anything strange, they may spyhop to see what is approaching. This past summer the Whale Research vessel in our area was using a drone for observation and we noticed much more spy hopping while the drone was in the air.

Sea Star

sea stars by dock

To set the record straight from National Geographic; “Marine scientists have undertaken the difficult task of replacing the beloved starfish’s common name with sea star because, well, the starfish is not a fish. It’s an echinoderm, closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars.” I stand corrected after all these years of living, playing and working Canada’s west coast I will start using the correct name. This photo was taken by the dock in front of Grizzly Bear Lodge.

Orca Salmon Fishing

killer whales feed on salmon

As I recall on this day of whale watching we had two boats from Grizzly Bear Lodge in Johnstone Strait with a pod of killer whales. We re off Cracroft Point, in the tide ripe, a favourite place for the orca to feed. This is where you turn off the motor and sit and wait for the orca to “pop up” around the boat and provide photo opportunities and they did.

Grizzlies in the Water 2 of 2

grizzly bears in mating season

I neglected to mention that these two photos were taken in mid-June, which is the peak of the mating season for grizzly bears on the coast of British Columbia. The female swam along the shore and the male walked the shore. This lasted for several hours with the female swimming and walking the beach and all she wanted was food while the male had other ideas.

 

Grizzlies in the Water 1 of 2

grizzly bear swimming

It is not uncommon to have a grizzly bear swimming in the waters of Knight Inlet’s Glendale Cove where we do most of our grizzly bear tours. It is less common to have them enter the water and swim toward the boat and then along the shore. On this day the closeness was for a reason as will be seen in tomorrow’s post….