Yes this is the same mother grizzly bear from yesterday’s post. Most first year cubs prefer to stay dry so would rather walk a log than swim the river. But they are sitting down looking into the river and this is their favourite perch when their mother is fishing. As soon as she catches a salmon they leave the perch and go to mother for their share but some times (see yesterdays post) they are too late.
Tag Archives: Bears
Backward grizzly bear eating salmon
Most grizzly bears that catch a salmon will take it to shore or at least use a rock as a table to make it easier to eat. This grizzly sitting on the rock and eating the salmon almost in the water seemed to be hiding its catch. It was hiding its catch from one of its cubs. Above the bear to the right you can just see one of her cubs and the fact that she has two means she needs a meal on her own and does not share all her catches.
Evening black bear tour from Grizzly Bear Lodge
Yesterday’s post was a black bear on a whale watching tour while today’s is a grizzly bear on an evening black bear tour. On your first evening in the lodge we go for an hour or so boat ride looking for black bears and other wildlife. I remember this trip as it was the longest evening black bear tour that lasted two and half hours (we did get back before dark but just). We found a mother grizzly and two cubs on the beach and we followed them for over an hour as they slowly made their way along the beach turning over rocks and at time stopping to berries and eat grass above the high tide mark. Our tours do not normally have a tight schedule if we find something interesting we watch.
Black bear on the beach without cub
This black bear mother was spotted on the way to our day’s whale watching tour. It is a good area to find black bears especially if there is a low tide in the morning. This nursing mother (look closely at the photo) was on the beach alone that means she must have left her cub sleeping in the bush the above high water mark. We know she has one cub because we had seen them in this area on the previous day.
A Meerkat?
The dark raccoon eyes and the upright poise made me think of the Meerkat of South Africa. This cub, one of three, was passing by the viewing platform we use in Knight Inlet when one of the guests made a noise when a bench was bumped. The others kept moving but this one stopped and looked in our direction for a minute or so before moving to catch up with it’s family. The viewing platforms are raised about three meters (yards) above ground level and grizzly bear’s frequently glance our direction as it is not normal for them to have something above them.
Lean Grizzly Bears waiting for salmon
It is September 1st and these grizzly bears are looking like they need a good meal. And they do because not many salmon have arrived in the river. A late arrival of salmon to Knight Inlet’s Glendale River means that the bears have less time to fatten for hibernation. By early October the grizzlies were in better shape but it will still be an interesting winter for some of the younger bears and only next spring will we may see the result of a poorer salmon run.
Grizzly Bear Cubs Waiting 2 of 2
These grizzly bear cubs have decided that comfort is in numbers and body heat is conserved in a huddle. Yes these cubs are from the same mother and one is very small. Unfortunately it did not survive to the end of our viewing season which was mid October. Our guest are frequently reminded that this is not a zoo rather we are viewing wildlife in their natural habitat and nature is not forgiving.
Grizzly Bear Cubs Waiting 1 of 2
For some reason grizzly bear cubs will try to avoid getting wet. In the spring when the cubs are on the beach and are required to enter the water it is often necessary for the mother to go ahead and leave them behind to force then to swim to join her further along the beach’s of Knight Inlet. In this case it is early September and the cubs still prefer to stay dry. It may be that their body fat level is not enough to overcome the cold water and this thought is reinforce by tomorrow’s post….
Grizzly lesson learned
This could be this two-year-old grizzly bear cub’s first salmon. It was the first day that we noticed it had much interest in fishing. Prior to this it relied on it’s mother to provide the food. Time to become an active member of the family and obtain it’s own meals. There is a good chance that this is the last “fishing season” with mother and therefore the last chance to pick up the necessary techniques to survive on it’s own. Females will rear their cubs for 2-3 years. When a female grizzly bear leaves her mother, they often set up their home range in Knight Inlet quite close to their mother’s home range. Males will typically range further, but may also remain close by.
Trapper Rick’s Grizzlies 3 of 3
When the grizzly bear eating the salmon is about fifty meters/yards across the river the guests get some good photos and memories to share around the dinner table back at the lodge. These are also the memories that have the guests return to the lodge for a second and third visit as well a recommend the Grizzly Bear Lodge to their friends.
