As in yesterdays post this mother grizzly had been turning 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. This photo from July 23 shows her triplets taking a break while mother continues to graze on the protein rich sedge grass.
Tag Archives: Bears
How Many Grizzly Bear Cubs 1 of 2
This photo was taken from the viewing stands on September 2 (we are permitted to use these platforms after August 24th). This mother grizzly had been fishing in the pool next to the stands for about forty-five minutes while the cubs roamed the gravel bar. (Note that the cubs to not like to get wet unless force by their mother to cross the river.) The four cubs finally tired of their play and curled up for a nap while heir mother come closer to stand guard.
Grizzly Bears in Glendale River Estuary 2 of 2
.. and I remember this morning because as the bears turned and came toward our boat I knew that if I did not move into deeper water and give them room they would have turned into the estuary. If that happened we would not have had the good viewing and photo opportunities which occurred. The distance to the grizzly mother and cubs less than thirty meters (yards).
Grizzly Bears in Glendale River Estuary 1 of 2
Grizzly bear viewing, prior to August 25, takes place in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River estuary. We travel from the lodge for an hour and ten minutes to the estuary and then transfer to a flat bottom skiff that allows us to move up river in the shallow water. This photo taken on August 18 at low tide as this mother and cubs were walking across the mouth of the estuary next to the “in coming tide”…
Black Bears Foraging
Your guide often says, “Black bears are where you find them.” This means although we do a black bear tour on your first evening in the lodge we are constantly looking for black bears. Running up Knight Inlet on a grizzly bear tour, across to Thompson Sound on the extra day in the lodge or out to Johnstone Strait is search of orca and whales we are always watching the shore for bears. This mother and cub were on a whale watching safari and were cooperative enough to stay on the beach for over half an hour. As you can see the cub was in step with mother and followed her example.
Curious Grizzly Bear 2 of 2
The viewing platform is in corner of the photo and the rock it was standing on in previous post is not far from the grizzly. The top of the railing is about four meters (12 feet) from the ground so you can judge how close the bear came before it passes under the stand.
Curious Grizzly Bear 1 of 2
Viewing the grizzly bears from the viewing stands after August 24th can be interesting. The vast majority of bears do not acknowledge our presence in the viewing platforms. But every once in a while there is that curious bear. This photo is a good close up of a grizzly but it is difficult to know how close until you see tomorrow post….
Always looking for Black Bears 1 of 2
On your first evening at Grizzly Bear Lodge we go on a tour in search of black bears. This evening run is not always successful but we are always looking for black bears on the beach while running up Knight Inlet to the grizzly viewing area or on the way to Johnstone Strait to whale watch. The saying goes that “black bears are where you find them” meaning there is no set location for viewing as there is with the grizzlies. And sometime they are not always black…
Extra Day on the River 5 of 5
As this photo shows this mother grizzly was aware of our presence but it’s “comfort zone” was intact as it went about looking for a meal. We spent about fifteen minutes with this grizzly and the experience the guests had was memorable.
Extra Day on the River 4 of 5
.. the mother and cub walked up the path we had just walked and stepped out on to the ladder to look for salmon. Rick does know “his” bears and has learned that if we respect them and give them the room they need we all benefit.
