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.

White-side dolphin pod

leaping dolphins
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Great photo of a pod of pacific white-side dolphins which frequent the waters of British Columbia’s coast. The average pod size for pacific white-sided dolphins is 10-100, but they can be found gathered in pods of thousands of individuals. These dolphins commonly leap (breach) and somersault and may also ride the bow and stern waves created by boats. This photo shows the dolphins surging forward as a pod as they search for food (herring) along the shore.  While engaged in this activity they travel at about nine miles an hour but have clocked speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

Summer of the Wolf

wolf summer
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Guests in the lodge often ask about wolves.  The wolves located along the coast are referred to as Rainforest Wolves that take to the sea, swimming among forested islands to feed themselves. These wolves make more than 75% of their living from marine resources like salmon, beached whales and seals. The most common question is how often do you see wolves and the answer is rarely, I have guided for Grizzly Bear Lodge nine seasons full time and also spent several weeks every summer in Knight Inlet for more than twenty-five years and had seen wolves twice until this year. This year I had two good views of wolves and Angus and Ed three more.  This picture taken by Angus was at the mouth of the Glendale River on a grizzly bear tour where along with the guests the wolf was watched for more than fifteen minutes. Truly a rare sight.

Grizzly Bears viewed from the stands – 2

grizzlies from viewing stands
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On the other side of the stands grizzly bears travel up and down the river and often stop to fish.  It is also their approach around the end of the finger into the holding pool. In this case a mother with this years cubs spends some time fishing, teaching and feeding in the natural river.

Grizzly bears viewed from the stands – 1

grizzy walking river bank
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This picture was taken from the viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River.  We are able to use the stands, which are located at the mouth of the man made spawning channel after the 24th of August.  The stand we use is at the end of a finger of land that has the natural river on one side and the holding pool for the spawning area on the other side.  This photo taken between the shoulders of two guests shows a grizzly bear walking along the edge of the holding pool toward the stand. The vehicle we use is up the bank about five meters (fifteen feet) from the bear, which is about ten meters from the stand.

Grizzly Bear injured in fight

grizzly plays with food
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No this bear has not become so attached to the salmon it wants to cuddle the fish rather its front paw was injured in a fight and it is not able to hold the salmon.  This bear got into a fight with a mother grizzly that had a cub close and came out second best.  Its front paw cannot support any weight but it manages to catch and eat salmon and is putting on the necessary bulk to survive hibernation.  Only time will tell if it will survive the winter but so far we have been watching it for over a month and all is well.

Grizzly Bears Claws

brown bear
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Grizzly Claws “Brown bear claws are long and curved, ranging in color from yellow to brown.  In rare cases grizzlies have been observed with white claws.  These claws are used to dig up roots and bulbs of plants as well as to excavate den sites (Brown 1993, p 74).”  The white claws are often seen on the grizzly bears we view on the wild river we visit on the extra day in the lodge. 

Eagles on tour

eagle waiting
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“Bald eagles are believed to mate for life. A pair constructs an enormous stick nest—one of the bird-world’s biggest—high above the ground and tends to a pair of eggs each year. Immature eagles are dark, and until they are about five years old, they lack the distinctive white markings that make their parents so easy to identify. Young eagles roam great distances. Florida birds have been spotted in Michigan, and California eagles have traveled all the way to Alaska.” A quote from National Geographic.  In our viewing area eagles are common on the whale watching and grizzly bear tours until the salmon have arrived in the rivers in mid-August.  At this time the eagles move to the rivers and are less common on whale watching days bur still enough for good pictures.

 

Grizzly Bear Estuary Tours

grizzly family in water
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As the tide rises in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River estuary the grizzly bear tour from our lodge is able to move up the river and observe bears in their natural surroundings. Even thought the bears have accepted our presence the key: “Is to leave the bears as you find them”. As long as this “philosophy” is followed the bears ignore our viewing and provide opportunities for many great photos such as this mother and her cubs feeding in the river on a rising tide. 

Grizzly Bear Fishing Techniques

grizzly splash fishing
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Running after salmon in deep water does not seem to be a good technique to catch salmon but the size of the bear indicates success and that is what matters. Every grizzly viewed from the stand on the Glendale River seems to have its own fishing style and in the end all that matters is if the grizzly is able to catch enough salmon to fatten for hibernation.  This particular grizzly bear is five years old so the technique works.

Spring Black Bear visiting the lodge

black bear at lodge
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Grizzly Bear Lodge is located on Minstrel Island, which is located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the mouth of Knight Inlet.  The black bears in the area are good swimmers and move from island to island in the area. It is common to view black bear on Minstrel Island, in this case not too far from the Lodge. In early spring before there is more activity with the guests the bears are more common but as the Lodge becomes busier the bears tend to stay away from the lodge area but are still on the inland.