This photo is the reason that Grizzly Bear Lodge exists. If there were no fish in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River there would be no reason for the grizzlies to come to the area and therefore no need for the lodge to serve the guests to view the bears. Also the lack of salmon along the coast means the killer whales and fishermen would move to an area of plentiful food. This is the view from the grizzly bear viewing platform we use on the Glendale River.
Grizzly Watching
Grizzly Bears are magnificent and the biggest reason visitors choose our lodge!
Grizzly bears thrive here and the viewing opportunities are spectacular. We have operated our Grizzly Bear Lodge for decades and know the prime spots for bear watching. The ultimate grizzly bear photo opportunities.
Not Looking 2 of 2
Mission accomplished. This sub-adult grizzly passed directly beneath the viewing platform and received no complaints from my guests. It is not everyone that can say they were two meters (six feet) above a grizzly bear’s back and could have jumped onto the back (but only once).
Not Looking 1 of 2
Grizzly bears avoid direct eye contact as this may be perceived as a challenge or threat. This bear is walking toward our viewing stand and wants to pass close by so it avoids eye contact by looking down. It is aware of our presence but we are in a raised platform which makes the bear uncomfortable and it just wants to pass. As it does in the next post…
Photo Photographing a Bear 3 of 3
..fast forward to 9/2/2015 12:32 pm and our viewing is over and we have driven back to the landing to take our skiff back to the float to eat lunch. We had just parked our vehicle and were getting out to walk down the road when we had company. Back into the vehicle until Bella and her three cubs moved across the road and far enough along the beach until it was safe to complete our trip to the float. This took about fifteen minutes but the guests did not seem to mind. They thought it was interesting that we were delayed by grizzlies when we wanted to watch bears and again when we were through watching bears.
Hard to See
Just out of it’s nest this bald eagle was hard to spot sitting in a tree. Lacking the white head and tail feathers, which do not start to appear until their third year, they blend with the trees. Note that even the beak and talons are not yet the bright yellow of an adult.
Photo Photographing a Bear 2 of 3
Today’s and tomorrow’s posts are interesting and tied together. This post is when we are waiting for the lodge using the viewing stand to leave their viewing time so we can drive up to the stands. We are visited by a mother grizzly bear and three cubs on their way to the area of the stands to fish. We know this because we see them below the stands a little later. At the time of this photo the mother is in the background and the cubs are chewing on the tires of the white van. Time stamp on the photo 9/2/2015 9:29 am…..
Photo Photographing a Bear 1 of 3
Taking photos for the blog I try to give viewers an idea of what it is like on a tour from Grizzly Bear Lodge. In this case a phone used for photos which is becoming common. Also if you look into the water behind the bear it is not deep maybe this means we are close? Does the bear care?
Interesting Grizzly Visit 1 of 2
… However I did not reduce my zoom so missed part of the bear beneath the viewing platform. This grizzly was not concerned and never looked up as it was concentrating on the larger males fishing in the river about fifty meters (yards) away.
Interesting Grizzly Visit 1 of 2
We had moved to a different viewing stand for the last twenty minutes for our viewing time for a different perspective of the many grizzly bears we were watching. It was interesting as this grizzly bear started walking down the causeway toward our new location. It was a cause for much photo taking as it was a chance for another good close up which only got better……
Extra Day at Grizzly Bear Lodge 1 of 2
On the extra day in camp we spend the day on a river located on the BC mainland.After crossing Knight Inlet we travel through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River and spend the day with Trapper Rick. We travel via old overgrown logging roads to Rick’s cabin which is about two kilometres (miles) from the mouth of the river. In this photo Rick and four guests are sitting near the falls which is a natural fishing area for grizzlies. Not hard to find Rick in this photo and tomorrow’s post will show what has their interest….
