Tag Archives: Black Bears

Grizzly Bears also enjoy flowers

Grizzly Bears Like Flowers

Our lodge is located between Vancouver Island and mainland BC on Knight Inlet a forty five-minute plane ride from Campbell River.  The grizzly bears are normally viewed “up” the inlet from the lodge on the Glendale River.  In the fall the bears are feeding on the salmon in the river as the photo shows even a grizzly seems to pause in the meal to enjoy a flower.

 

Grizzlies Cool off

 

Grizzly and cub

All grizzly bear trips from the lodge prior to August 25th view bears along the shore of Knight Inlet and in the Glendale River estuary. Mother grizzlies start to bring their cubs to these areas in late May and stay for the salmon that arrive in late August. Grizzly cubs are naturally playful and if there is more than one the mother gets some rest as they play together but in this case it is all about mom. If there is not much shore remaining then lets play in the water.  Can you think of a better way to cool off in August? Thanks again to Marc & Solange from France for the photo.

Black Bear Swimming

Black Bear Swimming

 

On the first evening in the lodge guest go for a tour to look for black bear. This wildlife trip lasts a little over an hour and we normally see eagles, seals and black bear. However all tours from the lodge are by water and therefore we look for black bears. This was one of our lucky days.  I remember, coming back from whale watching we had stopped for a few minutes to look at a fish farm and the other boat got about five minutes ahead of us.  They must have just passed through this narrow channel when we came upon large male black bear swimming between islands. This was a fat bear because it was swimming high in the water in the early spring only their head is above water. Thanks to Marc & Solange from France for the photo.

Grizzlies Share Bounty

Grizzly Claws

Grizzly bears are omnivores, and their diet can vary widely. They may eat seeds, berries, roots, grasses, fungi, deer, elk, fish, dead animals and insects. In the late summer and early fall, grizzlies enter hyperphagia, a period of 2-4 months when they intensify their calorie intake to put on weight for winter denning. During this time period they can gain more than three pounds a day! Because of their diet grizzly bears have long claws between 3 and 5 inches, which are used for digging, picking fruits, catching prey and this case for holding salmon for their cub. Thanks to Lindy Taylor for another great picture.

 

Grizzly Bear Enjoying a Salmon

Grizzly with Salmon

Great photo from Lindy Taylor of a Grizzly Bear having just caught a salmon and looking for a safe place to eat. The abundance of salmon in the area reduces the fighting between grizzlies but it pays to be cautious. Most bears just move to the bank of the river to eat however some use one of the many rocks located in the river. It is estimated that there are between 45 and 50 grizzlies that come to the Glendale River to take advantage of the salmon that spawn in late August through October.

 

Grizzly Bears Fatten for Hibernation

Two Grizzly Eating

“Grizzly bears feeding on Salmon. Photo taken from the viewing platform.”
Lynn is correct that the grizzly bears seems to have the catching and eating part down pretty good.  Some grizzly become selective in what part of the salmon they will eat.  Some prefer only the eggs, others the brain or skin and others “everything”.  The parts they tend to eat often are determined by how close they are to hibernation.

 

Grizzly Bear Enjoying Lunch

Grizzly Eating Salmon

“Bears, bears everywhere. Amazing to see the bears swimming and so relaxed so close to the viewing platforms. This photo was taken from the viewing platform, giving us a good panoramic view of the Bear activity!”“Having a swim and eating lunch at the same time!”  As Lynn indicates the viewing platform used by Grizzly Bear Lodge provides a view of the natural river as well as the entrance to the spawning channel. Grizzly bears spend time fishing in both areas the choice depends on the number of bears in the area as well as the concentration of salmon.

 

 

Grizzly Cub with Catch

Grizzly cub and salmon

Although Bob and Helen’s photo shows the grizzly cub with a salmon it is important to read the posting from December 7th to remember that the cub did not really catch the salmon but rather picked it up from the bottom. It does not matter the source of the food as long as it provides the necessary calories to fatten for hibernation. The grizzly bears of Knight Inlet start to hibernate in late November or early December depending on the winter and the important part is the amount of fat and not the source. Tomorrow’s post shows mom’s method of catching salmon.

 

Black Bears on Tour

Black Bear Knight Inlet

 

 

BB cubsI recall these black bears because for most of the season it was hard to get photos of black bears.  All our guests had good photos of grizzly bears but photos of black bears were much harder to obtain. These three bears, mother and two cubs, were on a rock face on the shore of Knight Inlet on the return trip from watching grizzlies all morning. They were on the shore scraping muscles off the rocks and we followed them along the shore for the better part of half an hour as they moved in and out of the bush as they worked their way down the shore for better patches of muscles to eat. Paul and Sheila took the larger photo while the smaller one was from my camera to show there were three bears.

More Grizzly Bears make Interesting Pictures

Grizzlies play fighting

Play fighting between grizzly bears is a daily occurrence. The first and second year cubs are trying to assert their dominance and cubs will fight with their mother to improve their skills and strength. This behaviour makes for great photos and interesting viewing. The fighting will turn to feeding in seconds nut once the stomachs are full it becomes necessary for the cubs to burn off calories not realizing they should be saving them for hibernation.