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The extra day at Grizzly Bear Lodge is spent on the Kakweikan River with Trapper Rick. The first picture shows Trapper with two guests who appear to be taking pictures of the falls. Twenty minutes earlier there were grizzly bears where they are now standing and they were the subjects of the photos. Now they are trying to capture a photo of the salmon leaping over the falls. With the large lens they are using such a photo takes time and a certain amount of luck but most guests manage a reasonable shot. To the left of Rick is the entrance to the salmon ladder that bypasses the falls. If you walk back up the ladder about thirty meters (yards) one is able to see the fish in the ladder as in the second photo. Not as dramatic as jumping but guaranteed.
The black bears we view along the beach whether on a grizzly bear or a whale watching tour or most often on a beach with rocks that can be turned over in search of food. But they also like the larger boulders because of the number of barnacles and black mussels. They will scrap the barnacles loose with and eat them shell and all. The same goes for the mussels. This is a good source of protein for the black bears. They do not have access to the salmon rivers in this area because the grizzly bears control the rivers.
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Today’s blog and pictures tie in with yesterdays. On the ground behind the last guest heading down to the falls is a dark patch of what look like dug up ground which is a mixture of scratching and bear scat shown in today’s first photo. Directly behind but hard to see is a green garden hose the second of today’s photos. Looking closely at the garden hose it is noticeable that it has been well chewed. The interesting thing is that neither of these was present the day before. On the trip the previous day we were on the cabin deck when two sub-adult grizzlies came up the trail from the falls and were not pleased that we were there as they wanted to pass on the road by the cabin and we made it uncomfortable for them. Rick had been having trouble with these two for several days and said the fresh bear scat and chewed garden hose meant that they were not happy with him either.
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If you choose to spend an extra day at Grizzly Bear Lodge it is normally spent with trapper Rick. On this day we cross Knight Inlet through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River a forty-five minute boat ride. The ride may be longer because we often encounter pacific white-sided dolphins and black bear. This river is located on the BC mainland and we travel by road to Rick’s cabin. The first photo is the view from the deck of the cabin overlooking the salmon ladder and the falls. The second is guests on a mission to get photos of grizzly bears fishing below the falls. As normal when traveling in this area Rick is in the lead and the lodge guide brings up the rear and take occasional the picture.
To view a map of the areas mentioned scroll down the sidebar on the left to “Pages” then to “Google Map of Grizzly Bear Lodge Itinerary”.
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On the short walk to Trappers cabin guests stop to wait for other guest to catch up with Rick. No they are not wandering around on their own. Rick is the lead guide on this day while your lodge guide brings up the rear so there are no stragglers. The stop is to wait and talk about the surroundings and how Rick obtained the black bear skull in the second picture. A story about a grizzly and a black bear that met on the trail and made traveling the trail interesting for a week or more. A story better saved for Rick.
Great photo of a young bald eagle. Young because eagles start to get their whites heads in their third year and are normally fully white by the end of the fifth year. Regarding the yellow beak I found an interesting story on line from Senior Naturalist Dave Erler that is worth reading:
“Not long ago a Squam Lakes Natural Science Center trail visitor observed the immature and adult Bald Eagles housed at the Raptor Exhibit and asked me a great question. Why does the adult Bald Eagle have a yellow beak? I pondered for a moment before responding. I recollected from the ornithology course I took in college that the outer covering of a bird’s beak was composed of keratin, which is similar to keratin in mammal nails or claws, reptile scales, and bird feathers. I also explained that the yellow color in bird beaks, ceres (the fleshy portion at the base of a raptor’s beak), and feet are caused by pigments called carotenoids. After sharing this information, I explained that when I first came to work at the Science Center some three decades ago, most of the raptors in our collection had very dull color in their ceres and feet. This prompted me to contact a veterinarian I knew who worked with raptors. The vet explained to me that the carotenoids in bird beaks have a slightly different composition of proteins and glycine than is found in other animals. The yellow color is influenced by both diet and hormones. The vet suspected the dull color was the result of a vitamin deficiency, possibly vitamin E. On the vet’s recommendation we began to use a vitamin supplement formulated for hawks and falcons. After a few months, there was a marked improvement of the birds’ ceres and feet, indicated by a brighter yellow color. After sharing all this information with this gentleman, I could tell by his glassed-over eyes that I had missed the intention of his question. So I asked him if his question was really, “What is the function of having a yellow beak?” He nodded yes. Realizing I had already bored him senseless, I simply stated it probably indicates to other eagles that the individual is fully mature and healthy, important factors if you are trying attract a mate and hold a territory. That answer was sufficient and he wandered off leaving me to wonder why I don’t have a yellow beak.”
Guests normally arrive at Grizzly Bear Lodge on Minstrel Island between three and four o’clock. Once the luggage is moved to rooms, introduction to the lodge on the front deck, welcoming snacks of prawns or dungeness crabs it might be time or the first day’s black bear trip. “Might be” because it requires a reasonably low tide so there is a beach for the bears and at times that may be after dinner. This trip was successful finding a mother and cub on the shore looking for dinner. Important to note that this photo was taken with my small pentax with only a ten times optic zoom. I assure you the guest photos were much better.
Bald eagles can be viewed from the front deck of the lodge on Minstrel Island as they fly from the nest behind the lodge to their fishing areas. On all the day trips for the whale watching safari, grizzly bear tours and wild river trips eagles are plentiful. The hardest part for a good bald eagle picture is to have the eagle so it is not “sky lined”. They need a dark background to set off their white head as shown in this photo. Also to note is the spread wings as it enjoys the sun while drying after the summer’s morning fog.
Pacific white sided dolphins are frequently seen in the area of the lodge; whether on a grizzly bear tour, whale watching safari or the extra day trip to Trapper Rick’s wilderness river. The pods range in size from several hundred to over one thousand individuals. They are playful and like to ride the bow wave of our boats and will cross beneath the bow as if they are trying to see how close they can come without being fit. The prop wash is also popular and they will come within two meters (six feet) of the back of the boat. The unusual aspect of this picture is that there is only one dolphin.
If guests are interested and Ingo’s crew from Germany was there is some great salmon fishing while visiting Trapper Rick. This protected river provides opportunities for guests to spin fish for salmon with light gear that often gives the salmon the advantage. The protected aspect means that anyone fishing the river must have a guide which has been allotted time on the river and therefore it is not open to the public. The only other people we see and that is rarely are from a lodge that brings guest in by helicopter and you can guess what that costs.
Bald Eagles are frequently sighted in our area. At times they can be seen in large numbers. This is usually where food supplies are high. For example this could be in areas with high concentrations of baitfish or along the rivers in the fall when the salmon are spawning. They are not migratory, but do move around with the food supply. As mentioned earlier when the salmon are spawning we often see many along the rivers, while there will be fewer along the coastline. With little need for camouflage their white head and tail feathers can be spotted easily. The female is slightly larger and her white head extends down a bit farther onto the body, but it is subtle. It takes these birds 4.5 – 5 years to acquire this unique plumage. As juveniles they are a brown colour. With exceptional eyesight and the ability to view 270 degrees they are understandably often seen in high perches and in trees near points and passageways.
