All posts by Angus

Mother Grizzly With Four Cubs

Grizzly bears are slow reproducers and litters of one to three cubs are the norm.  In the last several years, however we have been lucky to witness three separate mothers with four cubs.  It is a true testament to the availability of food in the area.

Patience Pays Off

This photo is taken up at Rick’s on the Kakweiken River.  Sometimes the best approach to wildlife viewing is to find a good spot and wait quietly.  Often this pays off and by remaining quiet and fairly still the bears don’t feel threatened and tend to go about their business.  We keep out group sizes small at the lodge which we feel aids in lowering our impact on the animals.

Whale Tail

Thanks to Felix (felixrome.smugmug.com/) for this photo of a rolling Humpback Whale cruising in Johnstone Strait.  A different perspective indeed.

humpback tail

Black Bear Mother and Cub Feeding

In the Knight Inlet area it is rare to see Black Bears feeding on salmon in the river.  The reason for this is that the Grizzly Bears are the dominant bears and push the black bears out of these prime areas.  The Black Bears tend to be more spread out and when the tide is low we often spot them rolling rocks on the beach looking for shore crab.

Mother and Cub Grizzly Looking On

We often see mother and cubs while viewing the Grizzly Bears.  Grizzly Bears are slow reproducers, but the mothers take excellent care of their young.  These bears are near the river and the mother is doing a good survey for potential dangers before venturing out with her cub.

The Little Things

We are very lucky to be located in the Great Bear Rainforest, where the wildlife is plentiful and the scenery is spectacular.  Often we take for granted the little things, which are also beautiful, such as this small falls entering Knight Inlet.  The larger waterfall in the back is Rainbow Falls, which is just past Glendale Cove where we do most of our Grizzly Bear watching.

Humpback “Lazy Lunge Feed”

When the humpbacks feed they often lunge out of the water very quickly consuming as many herring as possible.  Another lazier technique is to use the current to their advantage.  The whales poke their mouth out of the water slowly, open and close it and let the current deliver krill and small baitfish to them.  Although not as dramatic it is equally impressive and much easier to see and photograph.

Grizzly Bear in the River

Grizzly Bears are very comfortable in the water.  When the salmon are running they spend a great deal of time in the river often swimming across it multiple times.  They are also excellent long distance swimmers easily swimming across Knight Inlet, which is approximately 1 mile wide.  Thanks to Britt for the picture

Grizzly Bear in the Estuary

This young Grizzly Bear is standing in the river estuary likely looking for salmon.  Tides play a huge roll in these shallow river estuaries.  At high tide the water will be right up to the sedge grass in the background covering the area where the bear is standing.  At this time the water is deeper and the salmon are able to pass through the lower river easily.  When the tide is low the fish are much more exposed and bears will take advantage of this as they struggle up the shallow riffles.