All posts by Lodge Guide

Black Bear working the beach

This black bear was viewed on one of the evening tours that happen on your arrival day. A local wildlife boat trip is taken to familiarize guest with boats and guides as well as finding black bear, bald eagles, harbour seals etc. This bear is looking for it’s evening meal located under rocks. This inter-tidal zone “food” is high in protein and is made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The “beach food” is important because plant food is relatively scarce during spring and bears will continue to loose weight until well into June. Yes it is a large rock and the bear did turn it over with a little effort.

 

Tracking sealions

The USA Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has a program to brand Steller sea lions as a means to estimate vital population parameters in the future. The western stock is listed as endangered under the ESA (U.S. Endangered Species Act) and the eastern stock is listed as threatened. The Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team recommended in 2000 that researchers begin branding and marking Steller sea lion pups throughout their range. Most summer we viewing two of three branded sea lions and report them online.

 

 

Useful tools

A good photograph showing the claws on this sub-adult grizzly bear. Brown bear or grizzly bear claws are long and curved, ranging in color from yellow to brown. These claws are used to dig up roots and bulbs of plants, to excavate den sites as well as wrap around and hold salmon.

 

 

I want to come in

Guest to the viewing platforms on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River occasionally ask why is there a caged walk way up to the first platform. This photo is the answer showing that some of the juvenile grizzlies are curious. The grizzly bears have been known to use the wire of the cage as a back rub but none have been aggressive or tried to force the gate.

 

Bathroom break

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Click to enlarge then click again

Telegraph Cove is a tourist destination on the north East Coast of Vancouver Island. It is a two and half-hour drive from Campbell River but more important it is often our bathroom stop while whale watching. It has nice clean restroom and also great coffee or hot chocolate. Depending on the location of mornings viewing we normally arrive there around 11:00 or 11:30 for a break and then return to the water and our picnic lunch and continued marine wildlife viewing.

 

 

Orca passing under boats

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Click to enlarge then click again
Click to enlarge then click again
Click to enlarge then click again

On days when the killer whales are feeding it is not unusual to have them come close to the boat. Sitting quietly in one position if that position happens to be over a school of salmon makes for an interesting viewing. This orca choose our boat as a base and swam around and under the boat several times while catching salmon. Some days are golden in the case black and white.

 

 

Orca passing between boats

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Click to enlarge then click again

The northern resident orcas appear in the area of Johnstone Strait in late June and remain until mid October. They are the fish eating orca and their appearance coincides with the arrival of the Chinook salmon. The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha is the largest species in the pacific salmon genus. Other commonly used names for the species include king salmon, black mouth, Quinnat salmon, spring salmon and Tyee salmon.
Chinook salmon are big fish! They are the largest Pacific salmon species. On average, Chinook salmon are close to a meter (3 feet) long and 8 to 14 kg (20 to 30 pounds). But some Chinook salmon in this area can grow to over 25 kg (55 pounds)!  This is the preferred food for the orca although they will other species of salmon…..more tomorrow.

 

 

Finger stand weir side

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Click to enlarge then click again

At the same time the grizzly bear was walking up river on yesterday’s post there was another bear in the holding pool fishing. This holding area may have over a thousand salmon in it and some bears get frustrated because the deep water makes it hard to fish. The experienced bears sit and let the salmon swim close or they just pick up the wounded and dying salmon that drift down from the bears fishing up stream.

 

 

Finger stand river side

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Click to enlarge then click again

The finger stand on the Glendale River is at the end of the causeway and has a view into the natural river as well as the holding pool mentioned is yesterday’s post. The photo shows a grizzly walking up the natural river looking for more salmon. It had just spent some time fishing in a small pool down river when the fish moved and it is in pursuit…more tomorrow

 

 

Looking between stands 2 of 2

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Click to enlarge then click again

This photo is from the first stand looking toward the second or finger stand. Glen, of the guides, has a good camera and took this photo of a family that had just passed beneath the stands and were making their way along the causeway constantly checking for other grizzly bears feeding the holding pool. The holding pool is where the salmon rest prior to going over the weir to spawn.