This photo was taken on our river trip. We were lucky to have a mother bring her cub through the yard while we sat quietly and watched. The mother was very relaxed as she stopped to forage on some grass. They cub took a moment to do a bit of “people watching” before continuing to feed with her mother.
Beautiful morning, with a boat fishing on Johnstone Strait. This area is frequented by the Northern Resident Killer whales in the summer, who are after the same thing as this fisherman (salmon). On a day like this its hard to beat it.
This Humpback Whale has just come up from under a school of baitfish and hopefully got a mouthful of fish. The photo captures the moment that the whale has closed his mouth and forced a burst of water out through his baleen.
We always keep our eyes open for Black Bears cruising the beaches at low tide. Sometimes it also pays to look up. Black Bears are much sleeker then Grizzlies and have short claws, which makes them excellent climbers. In the late summer there are often salal berries growing on the rocky outcroppings, which the bears enjoy.
This is a very close up view of a Humpback Whale fluke (tail). This particular whale is known as “Domino”. You can identify the whale by the unique shape and colorations on the backside of the fluke. Domino has been coming back to our area for several years and we look forward to seeing his return next spring.
This particular Grizzly Bear was seen on our river trip and utilized the same spot for several weeks. He was almost always there, although at times partially obscured by the large rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. This spot was, however productive as the Grizzly would wait for salmon to leap the small falls and intercept them before they make it to the top and to the safety of the deeper water. Patience is a virtue
On the coast the weather can at times be unpredictable. That being said in the summer and fall we are often very lucky with our weather and often do not get a lot of rain until October. Our waters are protected from the open ocean, so although it can get a bit choppy at times we do not receive the big swells that trigger seasickness. This is a beautiful evening in October (after the end of the season) watching a number of resident Orca move through Blackfish Sound, into Johnstone Strait.
For two seasons we have been lucky to have Felix staying up the river, helping out tremendously, while working on his university projects. Many of his amazing shots can be viewed on his website.
https://felixrome.smugmug.com
Some of our guests were very lucky to have a great phot opportunity with this Humpback Whale on a beautiful morning in Blackfish Sound. These whales frequent our waters during our season to feed on krill and small fish, such as herring. I hope they managed a good picture.
It is always rewarding to watch bear cubs with their mothers feeding on salmon in the fall.
“Amalie’s pups playing in the river, fascinating”
All photos: Rainer Beck, Bornheim, Germany
Bald Eagles are frequently sighted in our area. At times they can be seen in large numbers. This is usually where food supplies are high. For example this could be in areas with high concentrations of baitfish or along the rivers in the fall when the salmon are spawning. They are not migratory, but do move around with the food supply. As mentioned earlier when the salmon are spawning we often see many along the rivers, while there will be fewer along the coastline. With little need for camouflage their white head and tail feathers can be spotted easily. The female is slightly larger and her white head extends down a bit farther onto the body, but it is subtle. It takes these birds 4.5 – 5 years to acquire this unique plumage. As juveniles they are a brown colour. With exceptional eyesight and the ability to view 270 degrees they are understandably often seen in high perches and in trees near points and passageways.
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