Compared to the photo by Lynn Morris posted in the blog on Dec. 19, 2014 this is a sad looking heron. But birds do get wet and need to dry and the sun is the only source of heat.
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.
Spring Grizzly Bears
These cubs are about eight months old and still stay pretty close to their mother. Our spring and early summer grizzly bear trips travel up Knight Inlet and we start looking for grizzlies along the shore for that last half hour of an hour and a quarter boat ride. On this day we had changed in to the river skiff, which allows us to travel in the shallow water of the river before we saw bears. When in the river your guide is in the water pulling the boat up river and this permits a slow and quite approach to the bears. They are not frightened and this produces some amazing photographs.
Bald Eagle in Flight
Glen, one of the Lodge guides, takes many excellent photos and allows me to use them on the blog. He would likely have deleted this photo because part of the wing tip is missing but I have lower standards. Bald eagles are a favourite subject for our guests and I am sure many would be happy with this photo, as they do not have three months to capture the “peeeerfect” picture.
How Many Grizzlies?
Spring grizzly bear viewing from the lodge can become interesting. We travel up Knight Inlet to the Glendale River and transfer to s 5.5 meter (16 ft.) skiff to move in the shallow waters along shore and into the river estuary. As we move up the river we encounter grizzlies coming out of the tall sedge grass. We were about 30 meters (90 ft.) away from these bears when I used my small camera to get a photo of the bear in the river plus the four on the far river bank. The bears did all come into the river and the guest with their “good” camera got pictures and memories.
Grizzly Bear Watching Us?
Knight Inlet is north of Campbell River on mainland BC off the east shore of Vancouver Island. Our lodge on Minstrel Island is approximately 20 kilometers from the mouth of Knight Inlet. A further 25 kilometers up the inlet and you are at the viewing area. The fall viewing stands provide great photo opportunities of grizzly bears feeding on the salmon. Some of the bears seem to be posing for the camera but their main interest in eating as “den time” is not that far away. The white shape in the water behind the bear is a dead salmon. This grizzly sat in the pool below the viewing stands and picked salmon of the bottom and wasted few calories doing so, which means more fat.
Grizzly Bears also enjoy flowers
Our lodge is located between Vancouver Island and mainland BC on Knight Inlet a forty five-minute plane ride from Campbell River. The grizzly bears are normally viewed “up” the inlet from the lodge on the Glendale River. In the fall the bears are feeding on the salmon in the river as the photo shows even a grizzly seems to pause in the meal to enjoy a flower.
Grizzly bears looking for dry land
The same grizzlies from the December 28th post have left the water and are heading for higher ground. You can tell that this is a mid August grizzly by the lack of “belly”. By the early October and more than a month of eating salmon her legs will appear much shorter. Grizzlies can increase their body weight by one third to one half before they den up for the winter.
Grizzlies Cool off
All grizzly bear trips from the lodge prior to August 25th view bears along the shore of Knight Inlet and in the Glendale River estuary. Mother grizzlies start to bring their cubs to these areas in late May and stay for the salmon that arrive in late August. Grizzly cubs are naturally playful and if there is more than one the mother gets some rest as they play together but in this case it is all about mom. If there is not much shore remaining then lets play in the water. Can you think of a better way to cool off in August? Thanks again to Marc & Solange from France for the photo.
Black Bear Swimming
On the first evening in the lodge guest go for a tour to look for black bear. This wildlife trip lasts a little over an hour and we normally see eagles, seals and black bear. However all tours from the lodge are by water and therefore we look for black bears. This was one of our lucky days. I remember, coming back from whale watching we had stopped for a few minutes to look at a fish farm and the other boat got about five minutes ahead of us. They must have just passed through this narrow channel when we came upon large male black bear swimming between islands. This was a fat bear because it was swimming high in the water in the early spring only their head is above water. Thanks to Marc & Solange from France for the photo.
Grizzlies Share Bounty
Grizzly bears are omnivores, and their diet can vary widely. They may eat seeds, berries, roots, grasses, fungi, deer, elk, fish, dead animals and insects. In the late summer and early fall, grizzlies enter hyperphagia, a period of 2-4 months when they intensify their calorie intake to put on weight for winter denning. During this time period they can gain more than three pounds a day! Because of their diet grizzly bears have long claws between 3 and 5 inches, which are used for digging, picking fruits, catching prey and this case for holding salmon for their cub. Thanks to Lindy Taylor for another great picture.
