This photo is late August and unlike the grizzly in yesterday’s post this grizzly bear has had the advantage of ripe berries for several months and possibly a few salmon which will now be in the river. This bear is no where near hibernation weight and will increase by another third before heading to the high country for the winter.
For the past five years the number of humpback whales spending their summers in our viewing area has increased to eight to ten whales viewed on a daily basis. The southern BC/Washington population, which includes our area, is approximately 200-400 whales. It is becoming more common to see calves with their mothers. The gestation period is approximately 11 months, calves being born between December and April. A calf will spent about one year with its mother before becoming independent. Our viewing area is rich in herring and therefore a feeding area for the calves and mothers. There also appears to be a correlation between feeding and breeding grounds. The majority of humpback whales feeding in the southern BC waters have been re-sighted off mainland Mexico, as well as Hawaii according to the B.C. Cetacean Sighting Network.
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