All posts by Lodge Guide

Evening Black Bear Tour 2 0f 2

black bear tourYes this is an evening black bear tour and this is a mother grizzly bear with two first year cubs. This bear spent most of the summer in an area that was less then a twenty minute boat ride from the lodge. Some mornings she was observed on the way to the whales and other evening on a black bear tour. This evening we followed them along the shore for close to an hour which extended our evening tour so we got back just before dark. Our lodge does not have a tight schedule requiring us to be back at the lodge at a set time so if we find something worth watching, we watch.

 

 

Evening Black Bear Tour 1 0f 2

black bear and cub

 

The first evening at the Grizzly Bear Lodge includes a black bear tour in the local area around the lodge. For the 2015 season it has been harder to find black bears on the evening tour that grizzly bears on the day trip up Knight Inlet. Most guests were able to view black bears some time on their visit as your guide is constantly watching the shore on the whale watching day, grizzly bear trip and the day at the wild river. The above photo was on a whale-watching trip. We spent forty-five or so minutes with this mother and cubs she pass through several small bays rolling rocks and at the edge of the forest eating salal berries.

Best Series of Photos 3 of 3

orca tailorca tailHowever as the last photo shows that this is a killer whale (orca) not a humpback whale. Killer whales are identifies by their dorsal fin and the accompanying saddle patch. This last photo was actually the first is the series but if I had posted them in the correct order there would be nothing to write.

 

 

 

 

Best Series of Photos 1 of 3

Killer WhaleKiller whale divingApril and Rob of Cairns Australia visited Grizzly Bear Lodge in the summer of 2011 and took a series of photos which has always been one of my favourities. Photos of tails is one of the main identification tools for whales…

 

 

 

 

Dolphins playing on tour

s White Sides 2

Pacific white-sided dolphins have a “good” habit of enjoying playing with a boat.  Slowing a boat to 7 or 8 mph seems to provide a reason for this change in behaviour. The dolphins will pace the boat, nose into the prop wash of the motor and even ride the bow wave.  They will often play for fifteen or twenty minutes then abruptly stop and go their way, This is the signal they have had enough and it is time to hunt for food.

 

Busy black bear

Black Bear ans cubs

Any bear with three cubs has a full time job to find enough to eat to produce the milk to keep a family fed. This photo was taken by Glen one of the camp guides on a morning tour to view grizzly bears. The rock ledge on the way up Knight Inlet is cover with barnacles and seaweed. The barnacles are food for the bear and by looking as the white area (that is where the barnacles have been scrapped away and eaten) it is easy to see that this bear has been busy. The cubs being to young to scrap the barnacles wait for mum to provide the milk.

 

Grizzly Bear Waiting

Grizzly Bear Fishing

The splash in the lower right corner of this photo has the grizzlies full attention. The splash is from a school of salmon moving up river and this means it is lunchtime. The grizzly is waiting in a deep pool for the salmon to cross over a shallow bar. In most cases the grizzly would be in the shallow water as it is easier to catch the salmon but not all bears are created equal and this bear soon learned that deep water is not the best place to wait.

 

Friendly wildlife of Knight Inlet

 

The black tail deer are a common sight in the river estuary where we view grizzly bears. They come to the shore to graze on the sedge grass and it is not unusual to see the deer and grizzlies grazing in the same area. The open and flat nature of the river mouth give the deer an advantage so the bears do not attempt to start a chase they cannot win.

Blak tail deer

Killer whales at rest

Orca Restline

A killer whale pod often forms a tight group or reatline while traveling, and their breathing and movements will synchronize. Taking several breaths at the surface they submerge for a period of time before surfacing again. The time spent submerged increases as the “sleep” becomes deeper, and they may take up to ten breaths near the surface before submerging for as long as ten minutes.