Tag Archives: Bears

Blacktail deer and grizzly

Black tail deer

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.

 

Grizzly bear Giving Directions?

Grizzly Bear claws

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?

Grizzly Bear Watching

 

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.

 

Estuary Grizzly Bears – extra legs

River Grizzly Bears

 

Prior to August 25th the grizzly bear tours from the lodge spend the day in the Glendale River and it’s estuary. We use a 5.5 five meter (yard) flat bottom skiff to move along the shore and quietly up the river while we watch grizzlies. As the tide rises we move up river and encounter bears digging roots, eating sedge grass and chasing salmon once they arrive. This summer (2014) Bella and her cubs were frequently in this area to entertain guests and provide photo opportunities. Their attention is not on us but rather two sub-adult bears that have come to the beach, in fact we have become part of the scenery and are normally ignored by the grizzlies.

Grizzly being protective

Mom protecting triplets

 

For most of the summer (2014) this one cub of the triplets was a little “off”. Normally the cubs stay close to their mother for protection and comfort but the one cub was constantly lagging behind while walking the river, wander off while mom was fishing or just being that “kid in the mall” wanting to do its own thing.

 

Grizzly Bear Salad Break

Grizzly Bear Grazing

 

This photo was taken on the first day (August 25) in the viewing stands this summer (2014). This grizzly had been doing well catching salmon and feeding her cubs, that is “cubs” as she has triplets (see tomorrows post). But as many bears in the area she is taking a break and eating some grass along the riverbank. Not sure why a grizzly would give up the abundance of salmon for grass but would assume that a change is as good as a rest and the possibility that it might aid in digestion. This shows the fact that grizzlies will eat almost anything. They are omnivorous and will eat plants and other animals if available. What they eat depends on what kind of foods is available where they live and the particular season.

 

 

Too Many Salmon

Grizzly with salmon

When a grizzly bear is more concerned about a small piece of salmon on its leg than the one slipping into the water it means it is not worried about catching another. The white shapes in the water around the bear are salmon. The past summer was very hot, the water level in the river low which caused low oxygen content in the water and a die off of several thousand salmon. For this reason the grizzlies knew they could easily catch salmon to eat. This lasted for several weeks until the rains came and fresh salmon moved up river.

 

 

River Grizzly Bear

Shore walker grizzly

The first half of the grizzly bear watching season occurs along the shores of Knight Inlet, the Glendale River estuary and up the river. There are eight to ten bears that are in this area all the time then some come for a time then move on to another area. This bear we encountered while on the river was one of those around for a short time. It was very cautious and constantly glancing our way unlike the “resident” bears, which tend to ignore the boats and people. Normally the only thing that will really make a bear leave suddenly is another larger bear.