I am not sure if this bear was enjoying the beauty of the flowers but it did appear that way. It proceeded to eat some of the grass in the area but not the flowers so maybe there is some hope for wildlife.
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.
Northern resident A72
If you Google “orca A72” and go into “A30 matriline – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” you will learn about all about Bend (born 1999). Bend is a young female and has a distinctive cut at the middle of her dorsal fin, the cause of which is not known. Above photo.
The orca pod often viewed on our tours is the A30. A30 matrilineal is the name given to the most commonly seen orca matriline in British Columbia. The matriline was present in over 60% of all of the encounters in the Johnstone Strait region, making it one of best known matrilines. The group’s size has increased, from 6 in the mid-1970s to 10 as of 2013, including 4 calves. It is most frequently seen in Johnstone Strait from late spring to early fall, often traveling with other pods of the Northern Resident Community. The second photo shows this pod minus the three adult males which were in the area but not traveling with the family. Note A72 is the fifth one in the photo.
Guest ready for the tour to start
Morning tours leave the dock by 8:00 in the spring and 7:30 in the fall. Guests are called by 7:00 or 6:30 and come down for breakfast, however many are up earlier once they smell the fresh coffee. While you have breakfast your guide is checking the boat and making sure the pop / beer cooler and picnic lunch is on board. The floater suit tied around this guest’s waist need to be in the boat, as they required by law, but it is not necessary to be worn. Most quests do wear the suits because mornings on the water can be cool and damp. By eleven o’clock the overcast is gone and out comes the sunscreen.
Smelling for what?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: “Scenthounds as a group can smell one- to ten-million times more acutely than a human, and Bloodhounds, which have the keenest sense of smell of any dogs,[citation needed] have noses ten- to one-hundred-million times more sensitive than a human’s. They were bred for the specific purpose of tracking humans, and can detect a scent trail a few days old. The second-most-sensitive nose is possessed by the Basset Hound, which was bred to track and hunt rabbits and other small animals.
Bears, such as the Silvertip Grizzly found in parts of North America, have a sense of smell seven times stronger than that of the bloodhound, essential for locating food underground. Using their elongated claws, bears dig deep trenches in search of burrowing animals and nests as well as roots, bulbs, and insects. Bears can detect the scent of food from up to 18 miles away; because of their immense size, they often scavenge new kills, driving away the predators (including packs of wolves and human hunters) in the process.”
Even if the above statement is wrong by a thousand times a grizzlies sense of smell is amazing. This bear was checking on a grizzly that had passed an hour earlier but I have also seen them walk along a river in the fall and dig up salmon eggs. Often the river water level will drop exposing gravel bars were salmon had laid their eggs only to be dug up by grizzlies.
Blacktail deer and grizzly
It is common to see deer and grizzly bears in close proximity. On the beach they will be with in 50 meters (yards) of each other and the bears will not attempt to run down the deer. It is a calculation of how much energy will be used and the chance of success and to a grizzly the answer is NO. On this day we were moving up river and waiting for the tide to rise before our next move. The grizzly and cubs we had been watching moved across the river (can see the mother grizzly on the stump on the far side watching) when a doe and two fawns walked across in front of our boat. The deer in the picture is a small fawn so the water in only 20 cm (6 inches) deep and about deep enough so we can move up river.
Humpback Whales Breaching
Many reasons have been suggested for breaching. Whales are more likely to breach when they are in groups, suggesting social reasons, such as an assertion of dominance, courting or warning of danger. It is also possible that the loud “smack” upon re-entering is useful for stunning or scaring prey. Others suggest that a breach allow the whale to breathe in air that is not close to the surface, which may aid breathing in rough seas. Another widely accepted possible reason is to dislodge parasites from the skin. But to tell truth I do not think the guests I have in the boat care about the reason they are just happy to see breaching whales.
Arrival snack
Guest normally arrive from Campbell River by seaplane around 3:30. Luggage is carried to the lodge, rooms are assigned and a snack set out on the main lodge deck. The snack is a variety of cheeses, crackers, antipasto, tea or coffee and of course the main item either fresh dungeness crabs or prawns. And I think the table also shows a can of pop and a beer. While you are eating and Angus has a captive audience he will go over the operation of the camp and outline the day’s itinerary. Before you eat again at 6:30 there is time for a black bear tour of the local area where you become familiar with the boats and guides and of course look for black bears, bald eagles, seals, and occasionally seeing grizzlies.
Grizzly bear Giving Directions?
This mother grizzly does not have her claws out in anger to discipline her cubs. A grizzly’s claws are not retractable they are meant for digging or on this day catching salmon. This is a bear that was tired of having the cubs too close which made it harder to catch salmon. Once they moved off a ways she was able to catch more and then shared but the sharing was on the shore where the cubs were able to eat.
Grizzly watching us?
Every once in a while it appears that we are in a zoo. By that I mean our guests and myself are in a cage, the viewing platform, and the grizzly bears are free on the outside and watching. On occasion the bears do pause from their catching and eating salmon to glance our way. It may be the clicking of a camera or a sudden movement above their head but they do notice but not for long as food has a higher priority and not “something” in a cage.
Pacific Whitesided Dolphins
Grizzly Bear Lodge has three different day trips: one to grizzly bears, second to watch killer whales and humpback whales and the third a visit to a wild river and Trapper Rick. The pacific whitesided dolphins of this photo may be seen on all these trips. The dolphins we encounter are often in pods of several hundred and are always interested in playing with the boats as they ride the bow wave or come within a meter (yard) of the prop at the stern of the boat. There is not much marine wildlife that can compare to running with a pod of dolphins that are with in an arm length of the boat.
