This is more common than one would think. It is not a result of the lack of other food it is more because seaweed is full of vitamins and minerals –vitamins: A, C, E, K and B and minerals: iodine, selenium, calcium and iron. Not sure how many grizzly bears have a degree in advanced nutrition but over the centuries they seem to have learned what is good for their system.
In the spring grizzly bears come to the Glendale River estuary to feed on the sedge grass as it is up to 25% protein and the berries in the coastal forests are not yet available. At lower tides when more of the beach is exposed the bears will spent more time turning over rocks in the inter-tidal zone looking for food high in protein such as crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. Much of a grizzly’s time in the spring is spent in search of food. This changes in the fall once the salmon arrive and food is more abundant. Spring grizzly bear watching is along the shore from the water while the fall viewing is from a stationary platform.
On the better evenings we may find a grizzly with cubs. Over the past five years the numbers of the grizzlies in the area near Grizzly Bear Lodge (named for a reason) has increased dramatically. The grizzly population of Knight Inlet is on the increase and the young males and mothers with cubs are moving down the inlet closer to the lodge. The competition for food forces the bears into areas they previously avoided and this makes the evening viewing much more interesting.
On your first evening at Grizzly Bear Lodge once rooms have been assigned, you are settled in, had your snack of fresh seafood (prawns or crab), dip, crackers, cheese etc., and Angus has given his welcome talk that outlines you itinerary it is finally time for your first tour. The first tour is a short wildlife viewing trip of an hour plus depending on what we find. The goal is to locate black bears that use the beaches as their buffet. Some nights we are lucky and have a good show often with a mother and cub other evenings it is even better as tomorrow’s post shows….
….the second is the bear with a salmon in its mouth. Note: I used (Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom) that does not have a great zoom feature but I know the guests got great pictures. It is an interesting sensation watching a grizzly when the river is not that deep and the bear could cross without much effort. And even though Rick knows the grizzlies and has spent twenty years on the river he is still armed and prepared.
Your extra day at the lodge is a tour with Trapper Rick who is cross Knight Inlet, through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River. This remote river is located on the BC mainland and we travel by road, cross a river by boat and a short level hike to Rick’s cabin. Just below the cabin about 200 meters (yards) on the river one is able to sit and overlook and area where the grizzly bears come to fish salmon. The first photo shows guests looking across the river….
The fall grizzly bear watching trips are from two viewing platforms located on a man made spawning channel adjacent to the Glendale River. If you go to to “Categories” and select “Wildlife Tour Itinerary” and follow the instructions you will have an excellent aerial view of the platforms. The platforms are about 3 meters (10 feet) off the ground, covered with room form eight to ten people but we limit tours to a maxim of five. The bears are fishing for salmon although they do stop to eat grass and berries.
Spring grizzly bear tours are from mid-May to August 24th. This is the date we are permitted to use the viewing platform on the Glendale River. The spring tours are along the shore of Knight Inlet, Glendale Cove and in the Glendale River. Along the Inlet the grizzlies scrap the barnacles and muscles from the rocks as shown in the photo. In the Cove they turn over rocks. This inter-tidal zone “food” is high in protein and is made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The “beach food” is important because plant food is relatively scarce during spring and bears will continue to loose weight until well into June. In the river they graze on sedge grass, dig root, and enjoy the berry patches. There is allot of activity along the shore and the grizzlies are close and at eye level for good photos.
In an instant the mother was in protective mode. Another grizzly appeared on the beach and even though the new bear was a hundred meters (yards) away mother was on alert. The new grizzly was a young male so the mother and cub continued up the beach and the male moved off the beach. No one wants to confront a mother with a cub.
If you have read much of the blog you will know that my camera is a waterproof Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom. It is a good camera but does not have a “great” distance lens so I sometime zoom in with the computer and it gets a little “fuzzy”. The point being is that I saw the guest’s photo back at the lodge (because that is what happens in the evening) and they were great. In this photo the cub was using mother as a play toy but that all changed in tomorrow’s post….
Just like that another season has come to an end. We are grateful for all the wonderful staff and the guests this season. It was an excellent season and we are already looking forward to next May.
One of the highlights of the season was all of the new cubs out. It was awesome to see so many new cubs of the year and that is great news for our bear populations moving forward. We had great spring viewing and this continued through summer. On our river trips we started to see salmon arriving in August and enjoyed some great shoulder season viewing. The fish at the viewing platforms were a little late showing up this year, but viewing during late September at the platforms was great and the estuary viewing remained strong throughout the season.
Out in the whale watching world it was another year that saw large numbers of resident Orca who remained in the area right into October. The Humpback viewing was also great with large numbers feeding in Blackfish Sound. It is so amazing to have these magnificent animals back in our waters in such numbers.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We rebuilt the front deck last spring, utilising cedar cut on site. We will continue with some siding, rooms improvements and hopefully a floating sauna ready for the start of our season.
2026 is already looking like a very busy season for us. We only have limited high season availability so please book early to ensure we have space for your group.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid
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