We offer an exceptional fly-in lodge for Grizzly Bear Watching and Whale Watching in British Columbia.
Learn about What’s happening at the Lodge, view our British Columbia’s Wildlife Report, read our Grizzly Bear Watching Blog and Whale Watching Blog. Learn more about a Day on the River Blog, see Our Tour Guide’s Photos & Blog and Photos from Our Guests.
Grizzly bears on the beach in June through August feed along the shores of Knight Inlet. On this day the meal is the barnacles and muscles they scrape off the rocks. And yes they eat them shell and all. If you look closely a the photo you will notice various areas around the bear that have already been scraped and that was not done by this grizzly as it just came down to the water edge. Some beach feeding is a little different as tomorrows post will show….
No it is not a “grainy” or “poor” photo it is an orca close to the boat on a misty morning. Some August mornings are like that, a little fog that burns off before noon. We call it “whales by braille” and although it makes it a little more challenging to locate the killer whales you get some interesting close up photos. Plus the whales tend to stay in the area for better “sunny” shots later in the day.
Google says: Adult Bald Eagles have white heads and tails with dark brown bodies and wings. Their legs and bills are bright yellow. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years. In this case “Google” is correct but not always when dealing with birds and animals.
A mother grizzly bear with cubs will come to the salmon pools with a different approach. She needs to be aware of what/who is in the area before she commits to entering the feeding zone. This grizzly and cubs use a log that bridges the lower end to the pool and provides a good view of the area. All is safe and she enters the water with her family.
When we use the grizzly bear viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River after August 24th there are number on approaches to the salmon pools. Grizzlies on their own tend to take the direct approach and walk boldly into the area and see who/what else may be at the pools feeding. On their own they are able to make a quick retreat if bigger bears are dominating the area. Tomorrows post shows a mother’s caution…
We were off Cracroft Point this summer on a whale watching safari and spotted a humpback whale rolling on it’s back with pectoral fins in the air and as we moved closer saw a number of pacific white sided dolphins having some fun with the whale. Hard to move the boat closer with a camera in my hand so I put it down but missed a picture showing a few dall’s porpoise mixed in with the dolphins. This dall’s and dolphin mixture is even rarer than them playing with humpbacks which happens several times a summer.
These small chunky cetaceans have black and white markings that give them the appearance of a mini Killer Whale / Orca. There have been reports by people mistaking Dall’s porpoises for baby Orca, but the lack of white eye patches and a much smaller dorsal fin is definitely a Dall’s.
Dall’s Porpoise travel in small groups of two to eight animals rarely in larger groups of around twenty-five. They zip about quickly in random back and forth patterns looking for food. As they speed through the water, they throw a rooster tail type of splash. This is quite distinctive as they shoot along just below the surface of the ocean. They are known to travel at around 30 knots (56 kph or 35 mph). With all this speed it can be a challenge getting good photos. For this reason we often stop and they will make passes by the boat and sometimes we get lucky. They are very playful and are at times known to harass humpback whales see tomorrows post…..
This photo is late August and unlike the grizzly in yesterday’s post this grizzly bear has had the advantage of ripe berries for several months and possibly a few salmon which will now be in the river. This bear is no where near hibernation weight and will increase by another third before heading to the high country for the winter.
This was late May several years ago on one of the first trips of the year. When the grizzly bears first appear on the beach, out of hibernation, they are lean. Berries will not be ripe until late June, the sedge grass the bear is walking through is pretty sparse so nourishment comes from rolling rocks on the beach. This “beach food” is important because bears will continue to loose weight until well into late June.
Again a nice view of whales or killer whales which are dolphins. Note the photo is clear of other boats which does make it more natural and attractive. Like us on a day on the water the orca are in no hurry just moving slowly down Blackfish Sound. Blackfish being another name use by the locals for killer whales. Killer whale is a “tourist” name as it is much more exciting than orca or blackfish.
Just like that another season has come to an end. We are grateful for all the wonderful staff and the guests this season. It was an excellent season and we are already looking forward to next May.
One of the highlights of the season was all of the new cubs out. It was awesome to see so many new cubs of the year and that is great news for our bear populations moving forward. We had great spring viewing and this continued through summer. On our river trips we started to see salmon arriving in August and enjoyed some great shoulder season viewing. The fish at the viewing platforms were a little late showing up this year, but viewing during late September at the platforms was great and the estuary viewing remained strong throughout the season.
Out in the whale watching world it was another year that saw large numbers of resident Orca who remained in the area right into October. The Humpback viewing was also great with large numbers feeding in Blackfish Sound. It is so amazing to have these magnificent animals back in our waters in such numbers.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We rebuilt the front deck last spring, utilising cedar cut on site. We will continue with some siding, rooms improvements and hopefully a floating sauna ready for the start of our season.
2026 is already looking like a very busy season for us. We only have limited high season availability so please book early to ensure we have space for your group.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid
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