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.

Grizzlies Walking Causeway

Triplets

This photo shows a mother grizzly and her cubs. She has three just not all in this photo, like kids some are a little wayward. The family is walking the causeway between the two viewing stands we use on the Glendale River after August 24th. To get a sense of the stand’s location if you go to “Pages” on the lower left side of this page and click on “Google Map of Itinerary” you will view a map showing Vancouver Island and four blue “Icons”.  If you zoom in on the icon to the right until the written name of Tom Brown Lake is large and easy to read. Click on the green square in the lower left corner and this becomes a Google Earth Map. Continue to zoom in slowly keeping the focus on the end of Tom Brown Lake closest to the blue icon. The zigzag of greenery is the trees surrounding the man made spawning channel. The “dirt coloured” area at the left corner of the spawning channel is the causeway between the two viewing platforms. Grizzly Bear Lodge tends to use the stand at the end of the causeway as it has water on three sides and more opportunity for bear viewing.

 

 

“Boss” Grizzly Bear

Large grizzly bear

For some grizzly bears in our viewing area the term “boss” is appropriate and this is one of those bears. The photo was taken from the viewing platform on the Glendale River that we use after August 24th. Although it is great to see one of the large grizzlies it is better if they appear at the end of the two-hour viewing time. If they are present when we arrive no other bears will come to fish until they leave. The larger older males are a little shy and are more commonly seen on the road while driving to the platform or in the portion of the spawning we pass on the last half mile of the drive.

 

 

Guest comfort zone

Grizzly bear on a river

On this day we were moving up Knight Inlet’s Glendale River in the lodge’s flat bottom skiff. As normal your guide is in the water pulling the skiff quietly when some grizzlies appeared walking down river. We moved to the opposite side of the river leaving the wide gravel bar to the bears so they would have good passage. Rule one is if the bears look at you look down so not to be a challenge; two no sudden moves or load noises. Mostly common sense and yes pictures are OK. Distance to the grizzlies 15 to 20 meters (yards) and it is safe. One guest mentioned that this was close to the edge of his “comfort zone” but the key thing that you need to remember is the guides of Grizzly Bear Lodge have each been doing this for more than fifteen years and more important is that they also have families they want to see again.

 

River Scavengers

Bald eagle

The bald eagle is a majestic bird and it is exciting to watch them dive and pick food out of the water.  But like all wildlife a free meal is a free meal and an eagle makes no excuses for being a scavenger. If an eagle can grab a leftover salmon carcass and get a free meal they are the first in line before the seagulls, crows and ravens. This bald eagle was overhead eating a salmon while we moved up the river in search of more grizzly bears.

 

Grizzly Bear Cubs Alone? 2 of 2

Grizzly Bear and cubs

Not a big surprise that after crossing the river the cubs climbed onto the log and the mother appeared from the other side of the log for a happy reunion. As I have said in other post the cubs at times are not that fond of getting wet. Sometime it is necessary for the mother to go ahead and disappear from sight so that the cubs will follow. We just happened to arrive when the cubs were reluctantly crossing the river to catch up with mom.

 

 

Grizzly Bear Cubs Alone? 1 of 2

Grizzly Bear Cubs

The grizzly bear tours from Grizzly Bear Lodge prior to August 25th are to the area of Knight Inlet’s Glendale Cove. After and hour and fifteen minute boat ride we transfer to a 5.5 meter (yard) skiff and explore the river estuary and travel up the river as the tide rises. On this day we came around a bend in the river to find three grizzly cubs crossing the river with no mother in sight. You need to know that while in the river your guide in normally pulling the skiff through the water so our approach is very quite and the mother grizzly was not aware of our presence. Tomorrow’s post reveals the mother’s arrival.

 

Black Bear Grazing

Black Bear on shore

The common expression heard around Grizzly Bear Lodge is “Black bear are where you find them.”  That is to say that from the time the boat leaves the dock in the morning until it returns your guide in constantly looking for black bears. The first evening at the lodge is an hour and half tour to familiarize you with the boat and your guide and to look for black bear. And on all tours for whales, grizzly bears or to Trapper Rick’s black bears are on the agenda. Black bears come to the shore for a change of diet from berries and to get some protein. This bear has found the ideal location as the logs are covered with muscles and barnacles, which are devoured shell and all.

 

Grizzly Bear Identification

Grizzly Bear Head

 

This mother of triplets is easy to identify and not because of the triplets as there were several sets of triplets this summer and even one family with four cubs. Hear distinctive feature is the almost bald patch that extends back from her eyes. In this photo she has just taken a break from fishing below the viewing platform. She is followed by one of her cubs (nose by her left leg) and has decided to graze on the grass on the bank (some still in her mouth). It is not uncommon to have a salad break after eating salmon all morning.

 

Knight Inlet Summer Grizzly Bears

Grizzlies Waiting

The time of the grizzly bear watching can be determined by the size of the bears.  The grizzlies of late May and June are much leaner as they are recovering from a period of hibernation and will be adding little fat to their body. Through July and early August they start to show the effect of all the protein from grazing on sedge grass and turning over the beach rocks.  By early August the salmon start to appear in the rivers and this is when most of the “bulk” starts to show. So this is a mid-August photo with the grizzly bears starting to develop a rounded body and curves where there used to be boney angles. This photo in from Knight Inlet’s Glendale River estuary on a rising tide. Grizzly Bear Lodge uses this river basin for all our tours and prior to August 25th the tours are in the river estuary and after the date we use the viewing platform further up the same river.

Bonus Scenery

island vies

As a guide I try not to take the scenery for granted but it is hard when so much beauty surrounds you. When out on a tour I always tell my quests to let me known if they want to stop for a picture or to maneuver for a different or better photo for them. I am always amazed at the number of times they just want to stop for a photo of the scenery as we run up Knight Inlet to view grizzly bears or to Johnstone Strait for the whales. Today’s photo is an example of a stop to view wildlife when the guests were interested in the scenery so I took the picture for the blog as well one of the “wildlife” for tomorrow’s post.