The abundance of salmon in an area determines what part of the salmon is eaten by a grizzly bear. The more salmon the more likely that the grizzly bears will eat just the head, skin and row, which are the choice parts of the salmon for a bear. This is also true once the bears are fatter they tend to be more selective in what portion of the salmon they eat. So at the start of season and the end when the bears need to put on those last few pounds they eat the whole salmon.
Grizzly bear cubs usually stay with their mothers until they emerge from the den in their third spring. By then they should have learned skills essential for survival on their own. This is still, it is a dangerous time for young, inexperienced bears without the protection of their mom and siblings will often stay together for a while, some even denning together the first post-mom winter. Grizzly bears are very playful—cubs treat their moms like a jungle gym. They also play endlessly with each other and even older siblings will still play together as this photo shows. It is common to view bears playing and if the photos were taken out of context one would think they were actually fighting.
On whales watching tours from the lodge it is often best to sit and wait. In the fog it is possible to locate the orca with the aid of a hydrophen but that does not tell you their direction of travel and only a rough idea of how close they are by the loudness of the calls. Once you are able to hear their blows as they surface to breath it pays to sit and wait quietly with engines turned off. This photo is a testimony to patience and I assure you that my guests pictures were allot better than my small point and shoot.
Bears generally live solitary lives, but can be found together in the Glendale River estuary during mating season. The average breeding age for female grizzlies is 4.5 years. Males reach sexual maturity at roughly the same age as their female counterparts. Even though males are capable of breeding at three or four years of age, they rarely have the opportunity to do so because of intense competition from older, bigger males. This photo shows the size and thus the age difference between the two bears. The biggest bears in the population tend to be the most prolific breeders. Not only are male bears promiscuous, but females often have more than one sexual partner thus there can be quite a difference in the colouring of sibling cubs.
The implantation of the fertilized eggs – called blastocysts – is delayed until the start of denning season. If the female does not attain sufficient body fat or weight during the summer and fall, the embryos will not attach to the uterine wall and subsequently develop into little bears.
Grizzly Bear lodge’s grizzly tours from May to mid-August are in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River estuary. The bears come to this area to graze on the sedge grass and to turn over rocks at low tide for protein. However the large males which also appear have something else on their mind. Mating season runs from May to early July. Cubs are usually born between January and March. The female usually has two cubs. The cubs are blind and weigh approximately 500 grams (one pound) at birth. The cubs will grow to weigh 3-4 kg (7 to 8 lbs.) prior to emerging from the den in spring. The bear in this photo was in the area for several days until he approached the female in tomorrows posting.
“In British Columbia, Pacific white-sided dolphins move inshore/offshore throughout the year. Pacific white-sided dolphins are opportunistic predators feeding on over 60 species of fish and 20 species of cephalopods (octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish etc.). In BC, they feed on at least 13 different prey species, including salmon, herring, Pollock, shrimp, sablefish, smelt, and squid. They forage cooperatively, though large groups may separate into smaller sub-groups for foraging purposes. These feeding groups have been observed corralling and herding fish in a coordinated fashion.” Quote from Wild Whales b.c. cetacean sightings network website.
This photo is of dolphins forging activity that we followed as they worked through a large bay (Parsons Bay) adjacent to Johnstone Strait. There were at least three hundred dolphins that would churn the water in an area then stop and eat before rushing through another area. We observed them for about forty-five minutes.
The grizzly bears we view in the river mouths of Knight Inlet vary in colour from almost blonde to dark brown, which appears black. As the photo shows the most identifiable trait of a grizzly bear is the large hump on their shoulders, a powerful muscle they use to power their forelimbs through their daily routine. Grizzlies dig through the earth for wild rice and skunk cabbage bulbs, tear apart rotted logs in search of roots, insects, rodents, and other grubs as well as spend their days on the beach turning over rocks. Their massive hump is also the muscle powering them as they dig out winter dens, often in steep and rocky mountain terrain.
This grizzly bear was in the pool, which is the entrance to the spawning channel. The water is too deep to allow the bears to pin the salmon on the bottom and then grab them with their mouth so the fishing technique is a little different. The salmon caught in this area are ones that have been injured or killed by the bears further up the channel and have drifted into deeper water and are being lifted off the bottom by the lazier bears. Less energy is used in this fishing and the salmon taste the same however on this day the water was a little “muddy” from the previous day’s rain so it was fishing by “Braille”.
This summer there were some warm days on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River. This photo was taken on the first of September from the viewing stands. After August 24th Grizzly Bear Lodge’s grizzly watching tours are permitted to use the viewing stands on the Glendale River, this is an hour and fifteen-minute boat ride from the lodge. This grizzly bear was on the natural riverside of the stands just enjoying the cooler river water. It spent about ten minutes just sitting and letting the cool water flow past before it resumed fishing for the “pink” salmon.
The black bear tour occurs on your first evening in the lodge however black bears are often found on the grizzly bear tours and the whale watching trips. As all tours are by boat we travel along the shore looking for bears and frequently view bears on the beach looking for food. The lower the tide the better the opportunity for good viewing. It is normally the cubs that are concerned with our presence the mother are more likely to accept a boat coming close and the older bears, male or female, without cubs tend to ignore the boats. In this case the cub was taking notice but it did not run off as the mother was not concerned and that is who the cubs learn to ignore our intrusion.
Just like that our season has come to an end. I would like to thank all of our wonderful guests and staff who made this year a huge success. I am happy to stay that all of our team is planning to return next season. We are actively taking bookings, with dates starting June 1 2025. Hope to see many of you next season.
The wildlife viewing this season was awesome. A couple highlights that come to mind was the shear number of salmon in our local rivers, as well as the abundance of Resident Orca. With salmon returns being so strong this year, we were happy to see bears in excellent condition. By the end of our season most of the bears had packed on a lot of weight and were getting very “picky” about what parts of the salmon they would eat. Hopefully this will translate into more cubs being born this winter. Another positive was the weather conditions. We had enough rain to keep our fire risks low and it made for some excellent wild berries. The bears took full advantage of this, with the berry season extending far past its normal conclusion. This did mean that we had to work hard to find bears during our summer season, (as they were often feeding on the berries deep into the forest), but moving forward it is excellent that they had such an abundant food supply. The Humpbacks also didn’t disappoint, with great numbers and a few new calves returning with their mothers to feed. After a slower year for resident Orca sightings, this season was one of the best that I can remember. In fact as Im writing this the A62 and A23’s are still being spotted in the area by dedicated biologists. Strong numbers of Chinook and Chum salmon are providing them with a steady food source. There are a lot of positive signs and we are hopeful that 2025 will be another great season.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We plan on having a new cedar front deck built in time for the 2025 season, as well as new ceilings and paint in parts of the lodge and rooms. Theres always projects on the go.
Felix, Julien, Ryan, Zack and Myself all look forward to welcoming guest in June. See everyone soon.
Angus Reid
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