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.

Arrival Day 1 of 5

Plane arrival

On your afternoon flight to the lodge your plane leaves Campbell River about 3:00. Somedays earlier if all the guests are early or possibly later because of weather (that is rare.). The number of guests determine the size of plane: six or eight gets you the de Havilland Beaver or Twin Otter while four or less and you have the Cessna shown in this photo. The forty-five minute flight is over some amazing scenery so have your camera ready.

 

 

Grizzly Spotter

Grizzly Bear Lookout

The grizzly bear viewing prior to August 25th is in a river estuary of Knight Inlet. The larger male grizzlies are more concerned with our presence than are the sub-adults or the mothers with cubs. The concern does not mean they run for cover just that they more frequently look our way and are very aware of sudden movements and how fast we proceed up river. This grizzly noted our position but remained in the area for over half an hour.

 

Grizzlies and blacktail deer

Grizzly and deer

This is a common sight in the Glendale River estuary of Knight Inlet, which is the main location for the lodge’s grizzly bear tours. The spring sedge grass that both the deer and grizzlies graze is high in protein and keeps the bears going until the salmon arrive in August. Only once in my ten years guiding have I seen a bear attempt to catch a deer and that was after a deer had swum across the bay and the bear assumed it was tired but it wasn’t. On the flat of the beach the deer have an advantage and the energy use does not compare to the possible gain.

 

 

Grizzly Enjoying a Swim?

Grizzly mating season

It is early June and this female grizzly is not in the water to cool off, actually the male should be in the water to cool off. Mating occurs from May through July with a peak in mid-June. Female grizzlies begin bearing young at 3 to 8 years of age, and litter size varies from one to four cubs, with an average litter of two. Grizzly bears have a promiscuous mating system: cubs from the same litter can have different fathers. The different fathers can be very obvious when the siblings have dramatically different colours or colour patterns. This male persisted and the female was in the water for more than two hours.

 

 

Orca spyhopping

Killer whale spyhopping

In a good spyhop the orca / killer whale has about half of it’s body out of the water. This is more of an orca backstroke where it was passing the boat and rolled over and stuck it’s head out of the water. The description of what is happening is not important because the picture is interesting and unique.

 

 

Large river estuary for grizzlies

Grizzlies in estuary

The grizzly bear river tours start in the estuary of the Glendale River. There are many different channels that could be used at low tide but only one or two that will get you up the river as the tide rises. In this case we are in the channel we need to use but the bears are in another but as the tide rises and the channels merge we move much closer. Again patience is the key when viewing wildlife.

 

Grizzly moving down river

Grizzly walking he river

This sub-adult grizzly bear was coming down river as we were moving up with the tide. It was not a bear we normally saw in the area but familiar enough with the boats that it did not run into the forest. As you can see it had been in the water but moved to the shore as we approached. The shore being about 20 meters (yards) away, which shows again that it was not afraid. We bears we see on our tours have accepted our presence, which is another way of saying if we do not see them they must be strangers and they stay off the river.

 

Running with dolphins

Dolphins Close

Once you are with a large pod of pacific whitesided dolphins they are everywhere. They seem to like 8 mph (GPS speed) as a speed for running along side the boat. Glenn took this photo of my guests not believing what they were seeing. Note the glare from my head. Besides running beside the boat they follow in the wake and stick their nose within one meter (yard) of the motor’s prop. The key to operating the boat is to maintain a constant speed and direction or the dolphins will leave.

Dolphins following boat

 

 

 

 

Grizzlies fighting over territory?

Grizzlies Fighting

Not a territorial fight rather siblings play-fighting. In the spring and early summer there are eight or ten bears we see on most days and there may be the same number further up the river. In the fall once the salmon arrive the number of bears in the area has been estimated as high as fifty. The interesting fact about the bears in the Glendale River valley is that there is so much food that it does not pay to fight because an injury at that time of the year means you may not survive hibernation.