Grizzly Bear and Wildlife Tour Blog

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.

Killer Whales Resting 2 of 2

orca pod restline

Unlike the grizzly is the previous posting killer whales do not get to stay in one place and enjoy the sun. The pod will form a tight group often a line if they are traveling, and their breathing and movements will synchronize. They take several breaths at the surface, and then submerge for a period of time before surfacing again. The time spent submerged increases as the “sleep” becomes deeper, and they may take up to ten breaths near the surface before submerging for as long as ten minutes. It the pod is in search of food it will spread into groups of two or three and this is when the hydrophone will pick up their calls as they communicate.

 

 

Grizzly Bear Relaxing 1 of 2

Grizzly Bear or Dog

Viewing grizzly bears in the fall after August 25 we travel up the Glendale River and use viewing stands overlooking the river and the entrance to a man-made spawning channel. The bears in the area have accepted our presence to the point that they will lie on the beach to dry in the sun or for a short nap. This can also be a break from fishing, which allows the food to settle down / digest and make room for more.

 

 

“Two For One” Bald Eagles

bald eagles

Bald eagles are sexually mature at four or five years of age and this is indicated by the fact they now have their white heads. When they are old enough to breed, they often return to the area where they were born. It is thought that bald eagles mate for life and thus when we are running along the shore on tours from Grizzly Bear Lodge if you see one eagle the other will be close. It is not very common to have them in the same tree as it narrows the area for fishing but is does give one a chance to determine which is the female. The female is the larger of a mated pair in this case I think the higher of the two but unless they are side by side on a branch it is hard to tell.

 

 

A Classic Grizzly Pose

Grizzly with salmon

This may be the photo of choice for our guests but it is also an interesting photo that reveals much information. First is that this bear is not very hungry because the fish is hanging from its mouth and not moving so it has been dead awhile and not yet eaten. Second is that there are likely allot of salmon in the area and this grizzly is not worried about eating fast and trying to catch another. Third that this is not a bear with cubs or they would be close trying for the salmon. Forth that there are other grizzlies close that have this bears attention and they may be a challenge causing it to move off the river. Fifth that the white water indicates that there has been a recent rain causing the river to rise and run a little faster than normal. But our guests are more interested in getting a good photo than the background information until they are explaining the photo to a friend back home.

 

 

Excitment coming

Killer Whale approachiing

If you have just taken a photo like the one above you know that the next photos will be allot more exciting as the orca / killer whales come closer. The whales watching guidelines specify that we must be 100 meters (yards) from the orca that is to prevent running to close along side the pods or leap frogging to get in front of a traveling pod of orca. However the orcas are not aware of the guidelines and will often turn and approach a boat that is sitting quietly. If you have scanned through the blog postings you will notice many photos of orca close to and even passing under your boat that does not mean it happens every tour but the percentages are high that your will get your “bucket list” photo.

 

 

Black Bear are shore bears

Black Bear

As I have said before “Black bears are where you find them” and they are found on all the trips that leave the Lodge. On grizzly bear tours running up Knight Inlet, whale watching safari to the Johnstone Strait or on the extra day to trapper Rick’s.  Black bears are frequently along the shore searching for food. This bear was on an actual black bear tour we take on the evening that you arrive at the lodge. We travel through the local area for about an hour and a half looking for black bears, eagles, seals and other marine wildlife.

 

 

The triplets again

Grizzly bear family

These are the same cubs of yesterdays post but three months has passed and we are now up the river looking down from the viewing platform mentioned in the August 13th post.  The mother has a little darker coat, which we have noticed seems to come after eating salmon for a month or more. They are sitting on a bank above the river watching a sub-adult grizzly fishing and soon move down to join the hunt. Other younger grizzlies will give a mother room on the river because they are a force you do not want to “upset”.

 

 

Mother with triplets

Mother grizzly with cubs

If you look closely you will see the third cub following mother along the shore of the Glendale River estuary. In the spring until August 25th we cruise along the shore of the Glendale estuary as well as up the river as the tide rises in search of grizzlies. It is always interesting to watch the mother walk into the water and swim for a short distance because the cubs will climb over almost anything on shore to avoid going into the water. They are good swimmers at this age but have not learned to enjoy the water however later in the season when they are chasing salmon in the river they seem more at home.

 

 

Curious 3 of 3

Seine Fishing

Even the mammals (including me) that are in my boat are curious. This occurred on one of the native “food fish” days. This commercial seiner had let out its net and was retrieving it when we pulled along side to watch. They use a large scoop net on a hoist that they lower into the water to bail the salmon from the larger seine net. This was ok for a food fish in that they got 7 or 8 scoops which is close to three hundred salmon but would have been poor if they were commercial or “money” fishing.

Commericial fishing

 

 

 

 

Curious 2 of 3

Killer Whale Visiting

Yes that is the edge of the boat in the lower right corner of the photograph. And this is another curious mammal an orca or killer whale. The whale watching guidelines require that we stay 100 meters (yards) from the orca and we were until this female came over to the boat and swam around and under us several times. We were fortunate that the warden (whale watching police that enforces the guidelines) was not far from our boat at the time of the occurrence and had not just arrived to see it happen. We talked with the warden after and both agree that we must have stopped over a school of salmon and this orca was fishing.