Tag Archives: Black Bears

Black Bear are shore bears

Black Bear

As I have said before “Black bears are where you find them” and they are found on all the trips that leave the Lodge. On grizzly bear tours running up Knight Inlet, whale watching safari to the Johnstone Strait or on the extra day to trapper Rick’s.  Black bears are frequently along the shore searching for food. This bear was on an actual black bear tour we take on the evening that you arrive at the lodge. We travel through the local area for about an hour and a half looking for black bears, eagles, seals and other marine wildlife.

 

 

Arrival Day 4 of 5

Black Bear Tour

After your snack and normally before dinner it is time for a tour of the local area. The tour is an hour to an hour and a half depending on the wildlife we encounter. We look for bald eagles, harbour seals and black bear. The bears come to the beach to turnover rocks. This inter-tidal zone “food” is high in protein and is made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The tour also familiarizes you with the boat and guide although your guide may change depending on the day’s activities.

 

 

Extra Lodge Day

Trapper's cabin

If as a guest you choose to stay an extra day with us at Grizzly Bear Lodge we take you to our wild river, the Kakweiken River. Viewing Black Bear, Seals, and perhaps a school of playing White-Sided Dolphins on the way. Once at the river you meet one of our river guides, Trapper Rick or his assistant, and ride the Trapper’s “Grizzly Truck” to the spawning area of the river. Here you may view grizzly and Black Bears and Bald Eagles while watching the schools of salmon preparing for spawning. If you wish, fish off the bank for the salmon or trout. On this day while guests were enjoying a picnic lunch at the trapper’s cabin, which overlooks the waterfalls, I took a few pictures. The one above of the cabin and guests and then I walked to the right side of the above photo to get a picture of the river and one of the fishing pools to find a black bear approaching the cabin. Needless to say lunch was interrupted for a few photos.

Black Bear

 

 

 

 

People Watching Tour

Black Bear

This past summer black bears were hard to find along the shore as the berries seemed to last longer than normal so the bears stayed in the bushes. However we still managed some good photos and in this case I am not sure who was more interested the guests or the bear. The first evening in the lodge we do a black bear tour so you get to know your guide, the operation of the boat and work up an appetite for diner. See tomorrow’s post.

 

 

Black Bear Grazing

Black Bear on shore

The common expression heard around Grizzly Bear Lodge is “Black bear are where you find them.”  That is to say that from the time the boat leaves the dock in the morning until it returns your guide in constantly looking for black bears. The first evening at the lodge is an hour and half tour to familiarize you with the boat and your guide and to look for black bear. And on all tours for whales, grizzly bears or to Trapper Rick’s black bears are on the agenda. Black bears come to the shore for a change of diet from berries and to get some protein. This bear has found the ideal location as the logs are covered with muscles and barnacles, which are devoured shell and all.

 

Viewing Platform 3 of 5

Grizzly bears at stands

The grizzly bears in this photo are approximately 15 meters (yards) from the railing of the viewing platform. The photo was taken with my small Pentax Optio WPi camera without using the zoom. Tomorrow a little zoom.

 

 

A view form the platform

Grizzly bears fighting

The viewing platform use by Grizzly Bear Lodge is located overlooking the salmon holding area which is the entrance to a man-made spawning channel. The February 21st posting shows the abundance of salmon in this area and it is quite common that after the grizzlies (especially the sub-adult bears) have had their fill of salmon they start to play fight. This fighting is a family “thing” the bears do not normally interact with bears outside the family unit. On this day the fighting lasted about fifteen minutes before they moved the river likely to have a mid-morning rest (nap).

 

Black Bear Tour

Black Bear Tours

Every tour from Grizzly Bear Lodge is a black bear tour. Black bears do not have access to the salmon rivers because of the number of grizzly bears in the area so their main source of protein is to turnover rocks on the beach. This inter-tidal zone contains crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. This photo was taken as we first approach the bear. The idea is to come in slowly and allow the bear to adjust to our presence, which permits a chance for a better photo. The better photo in this sequence was posted on January 31st.

 

 

 

Grizzly bear fishing techniques

Grizzlies in River estuary

 As mentioned in yesterday’s posting prior to August 25th the grizzly bear tours from the lodge are in the Glendale River estuary and the lower tidal area of the river. After an hour and fifteen minute boat ride from the lodge we transfer into a sixteen foot (five and half meter) shallow draft skiff that we use along the shore and into the river. The shallow draft allows us to move up river as the tide rises and obtain excellent views of the grizzlies. In this case it was August after the salmon had arrived and were still in the lower river with the grizzlies trying to catch the freshly arrived salmon. The run and splash technique is not nearly as effective as the stand and wait method but it is much better for pictures.

 

 

Aerial view of a grizzly

Grizzly Bear Below

This photographer was either sitting in a tree or on a tour from Grizzly Bear Lodge and sitting in the viewing stands. After August 24th grizzly bear tours from our lodge use viewing platforms located on the Glendale River, which flows into Knight Inlet.  The stands have an excellent location with the natural river on two sides and the entrance to the man-made spawning channel on a third side. The forth side is the entrance to the stand and is land based so we can drive to the stands and you will not get wet. The grizzly bears will pass beneath the stands when moving form the natural river to the entrance of the spawning channel, which is normally full of salmon and the grizzlies preferred fishing spot.