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 pod A30

Killer Whale Pod

If you have time to refer to the posting of June 16th this is again the resident killer whale pod A30 with A72 the last orca with a notch in her dorsal fin.  The guest in the corner of the photo provides a little perspective for the closeness of the orca. On the lodges whale watching safaris we are on the water 7 to 8 hours which allows us time to position ourselves for a number of good pictures of the wildlife we view. The whale watching tours view marine wildlife such as killer whales, humpback whales, dolphins, porpoise, harbour seals, Steller sealions, occasionally minke whales, a wide variety of waterfowl, bald eagles, and frequently black bear as we travel to and from the lodge.

 

 

Grizzly Bears Diving

Grizzly head shake

The lodge uses a viewing platform on the Glendale River after August 24th. The platform is located so two sides are the natural river and the third is the entrance to a man-made spawning channel. This third side has deeper water than the river and requires the grizzlies to dive to pick up the dead salmon that have drifted down from the shallower water. This is by far the easiest way to fish for little energy is used for the calories gained. This type of headshake occurs frequently and is likely to clear the water form the ears. Are you are wondering about the forth side to the stands?  That would be the walkway to get to the stands.

 

 

Grizzly Bear Kissing?

Grizzly mother and cub

This may appear to be a nuzzle or “kiss” from a mother to a cub but it was more of a discipline growl. At the edge of the photo is the cub that got the message and was moving away but the other stayed. The message was if you want food you need to get out of the way and let me fish. The one cub being disciplined was more interested in playing but playtime was over.

 

 

Sealions at rest?

Sealions at haulout

It seems that Steller sealions get little rest. They may be at one of their haul-out areas but seldom is all quite. As they come and go from the water they climb over each other and just as they get settled again another one moves to start the roaring all over. On occasion we may eat lunch in the area of the sealions but only if we are up wind. The noise is bad enough but the smell is worse.

 

 

Third Grizzly Bear

Estuary Grizzly Bear

This is the third grizzly from the posting of June 18th. It came down the bank of the river not far from our boat and had absolutely no interest in what we were doing. It was about 15 meters (yards) away and as far as it’s interest it could have been a kilometer (mile) away. It passed by and went to the edge of the water and stared out into the bay for about five minutes. Seemed to lose interest and returned to be with the other grizzlies.  All I can think of is that there were two yachts anchored in the bay and maybe it smelled food.

 

 

Amazing Humpback Whale

Humpback Whales Breaching

 

The amazing aspect of this breaching was the location and number of  breaches. We were on a whale watching safari at Cracroft point with a pod of resident killer whales that were feeding on the salmon feeding on the herring in the fast water of the tide ripe. The humpback was in the same area feeding on the herring when it started to do this lunging and coming down with a load slap. This occurred in an arc on the outside of the killer whales. The arc was over 200 meters (yards) long and the lunging was repeated eleven times in a row. It did not seem to bother the orca so it happened a second time but only eight lunges. The orca kept feeding and the humpback returned to it’s herring and the guest got a great show and pictures.

 

Grizzly thinking?

Itchy Grizzly Bear

The lodge’s grizzly bear tours after August 24th use the viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River. The view of the bears from the stands is from above so the perspective is different that when on the river in the skiff. This photo show a bear just below the stands in a meter and half (4.5 feet) of water. It is sitting down and taking a break from fishing and her three cubs which are eating salmon on the bank about 10 meters (yards) away.

 

Pacific Whitesided Dolphns

Whitesides Dolphins

 

The June 8th posting showed our boats with a pod of pacific whitesided dolphins playing in the bow wake and the prop-wash. If you stop the boat the dolphins often stop with you and come along side the boat and that is what this picture shows. Two dolphins less than one meter (yard) from the boat.

 

Extra day with Trapper Rick

Waiting for Grizzlies

 

Guests waiting for grizzlies to come to the river to fish. A day with Trapper Rick on the Kakweikan River includes several locations to look for bears, opportunities to fish for salmon, hikes through the rain forest, picnic lunch at Rick’s cabin and a insight into the life of a local legend and trapper. Guests that spend the extra day at Grizzly Bear Lodge visit Rick always ask what will it be like and I don’t have an answer after doing this for ten years. I ask them the same question when they return after having a great day and they are at a loss for word. Some say amazing scenery and wildlife, interesting and passionate character, but the best was “like stepping past in time to see another lifestyle”.

 

Spring grizzlies in the river estuary

Estuary Grizzly Bears

Both the grizzly bears and I are waiting for the tied to start to rise. They are hoping the rising tied will bring more salmon into the river and I am in the water towing our guest in a skiff up the river. We had been watching these bears for about half an hour and wanted to move up river to locate a mother and first year cubs. This photo was taken with my small Pentax Optio WPi camera without using the zoom so these bears were quite close and the guests already had their “bucket list photos”. But there are always more and better photo opportunities around the next bend in the river.