Grizzly Bear Triplets
All posts by Lodge Guide
Black Bear ancestry – proof?
The picture that supports the speculation of scientists:“Most black bears are black with a light brown muzzle and often have a white V-shaped fur patch on their chest. The North American black bear Ursus americanus is the smallest and the most widespread bear species found in North America. Its ancestors are believed to have crossed into North America over the Bering Land Bridge.” (from http://www.bearsoftheworld.net)
“Asian black bears are medium-sized bears that inhabit parts of southeast Asia and the Russian Far East. Asian black bears have a patch of yellowish-white fur on their chest and a black body. They resemble American black bears in body shape and behavior. Asian black bears feed on a variety of plant materials including bamboo shoots, leaves, herbs, grasses, fruits and nuts.” ( from About.com Animals / Wildlife)
Every tour from the lodge is a black bear tour as they are most often seen along the shore at low tide turning over rocks in search of food. These bears do not have access to the salmon spawning rivers as they are under the protection of the grizzly bear. For a grizzly a black bear would be food for several days.
Grizzly Bear cub wanting to share
Grizzly Bear Lodge normally uses the second viewing stand at Glendale River’s man made spawning channel. It is the more popular stand as it is located at the junction of the natural river and the channel leading to the weir at the mouth of the actual spawning area. On one side the bears are fishing in the river and the other in the holding pool were the salmon rest before going over the weir. In the case of this picture from James and Wendy from Australia a mother grizzly bear is considering sharing her catch with her two-year-old. The pool is ideal for the lazy grizzly that can just pick up the salmon that are wounded and have drifted from the weir about fifty yard up the channel. The less energy expended chasing salmon the faster a grizzly adds fat and that is the only reason for fishing. It is also a good area for the cubs to learn to fish, as nothing is more encouraging than success.
Grizzly bears in the tub
This photo taken by James and Wendy from Australia reminds me of my grandkids when they visit and have a bath before getting into their pajamas for the drive home. There is often as much water to be cleaned off the floor as there is in the tub. Grizzly bear siblings will often stay together for two or three years after they leave their mother at the age of two, staying together until breeding begins around the age of five. Either playing of fighting they are sharpening the skills need to survive once they separate and travel solo.
Killer whales pass under the boat
As I have stated many time in this blog one of the most effective whale watching techniques is to do nothing. Drifting while eating the picnic lunch we are often visited by humpback whales, steller sea lions, and harbour seals. The orca (killer whale) is by nature curious and a stationery boat off to one side of a traveling pod is frequently a thing of interest. This photo demonstrates this philosophy as an orca passes beneath the boat and then returns to join its pod.
Male humpie
Male pink salmon develop a large hump on their back during spawning, hence the nickname humpback (humpie) salmon. They are the smallest of the fall spawning Pacific salmon. Pinks have a very regular life history, living for two years before returning to spawn the next generation. Pink fry do not rear in freshwater. Immediately after emerging they move downstream to the estuary and rear there for several months before heading out to the open ocean. Because of this, pink fry have no spots, which provide camouflage in streams, but are bright chrome for open water.
The only interest the grizzly has in the life cycle of the pink salmon is their sex. At certain times in their feed grizzly will drop a male humpie to catch a female which contain the high fat content roe (eggs). During this peak of the run when grizzlies have access to an abundance of salmon at that time they will eat only the parts highest in calories – the eggs, skin and brains.
Lunch visitors – sealions
A raft of sealions in the water on land they would be a colony. Steller sealions are the largest of all sea lions and they have an appetite to match. These giant pinnipeds are carnivores and hunt fish, squid, octopus and rarely smaller seals. They are found off northern Pacific coasts from Alaska to California. In the past few years more of these sea lions are remaining in our viewing area all summer rather than continuing their trek from California to Alaska in the spring and then rejoin their south bound relatives in the fall. The area adjacent to Stubbs Island near Telegraph Cove BC is a popular haul out area for this small summer colony numbering up to three dozen mammals. On a calm day we will tie to the kelp and have lunch and often visitors.
Third – TWO for one – grizzly bear and salmon
This could actually be a three for one photo. The unfortunate salmon in the grizzly bears mouth that will not live to spawn, the salmon coming over the small falls to the right and the third salmon behind the bears shoulder that is just clearing the water and coming up stream. The viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River are used after August 24th and provide great opportunities for interesting photos even if the interesting part is a result of chance. The guests always say one can never have too many photos to take home while the guides are trying to encourage them to put down the cameras for a few minutes and enjoy all the sights not just those seen through the camera lens. The stands are located so that the action is 360 degrees not just the small arc of the camera.
My morning perspective
Some mornings I may have too much time on my hands. We rise at 6:30 start coffee, finish setting the breakfast table and load our boats with the picnic lunches and check for fuel. The guests are called at 7:00 and we depart before 8:00 for the day’s activities. Sometime in there I noticed the spider web on the scales used to weight the salmon, in the background the lodge. I think artist license rather than boredom.
Black Bear pose
