On the other side of the platform mentioned in yesterday’s post we have caught the attention of a bald eagle for the same reason. Wildlife is very aware and we become more aware the longer we spend in our “nature” surroundings. Moving up river when viewing grizzly bears in the spring we use an aluminum skiff and need to be very careful as an “eagle eye” is OK but the absence of grizzlies because of carelessness is not.
Although bald eagle mate for life that does not mean they sit in the same tree together. While along the shore they are in hunting mode and in separate tree they cover a much larger area. A two for one eagle photo is not that common and the only thing that you can be sure about is that these two are a mating pair as eagle are very territorial.
Another great photo by Glen one of the camp guides and resident photographer. As guides we do have a little advantage over our guest in obtaining those unique photos. The advantage being the amount of time we have on the tours each summer but there is a down side in that we are running the boats so we also miss many opportunities.
Google says: Adult Bald Eagles have white heads and tails with dark brown bodies and wings. Their legs and bills are bright yellow. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years. In this case “Google” is correct but not always when dealing with birds and animals.
This first year bald eagle is flying high over the area on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River where we watch grizzly bears from viewing platforms. The eagles are in the area for the same reason that the bears come to the river – salmon. The spawning cycle of the salmon attract grizzly bears, black bears, eagles, seagulls and wolves to the river valleys. Wolves are seldom viewed but the rest are in abundance. In this case the eagle is looking for a salmon carcass to scavenge as this is much easier than catching you own.
This is another photo provided by our guests from a posting in December 19 to 21 of 2015 (can check the sidebar and go to Dec. 2015). An eagle had been reported in the water, far from shore, swimming toward the beach. By the time we got close enough to get it out of the water it was in rough shape. We managed to get the eagle quite dry and to a safe place on the beach. When we checked later it was gone so we assumed it made a recovery.
Low tide after a rain and the bald eagles come out of the trees to dry. On these small rocky outcrops eagles get sun from all sides and it is easy to turn to take advantage of the warmth. In a tree it is warm on on side and damp on the other.
Yes that is the spotlight on the bow of our boat. The goal was the bald eagle flying our way that was about to come down on to the herring ball where the ducks are located. The eagle was a little slow as the humpback came up for lunch. When photographing eagles, orca, whales, seal, sea lions, dolphins or any other “wildlife” it is best to adopt the boy scout motto and “Be prepared.”.
Always a challenge to get a good picture of an eagle coming down to pick a fish out of the water. Even rarer to get a picture of a successful eagle with a small fish in it’s claws. Glen (one to the guides at Grizzly Bear Lodge) has developed that skill to a high level and provides another good photo.
The herring ball mentioned in the May 14th is an ideal place for bald eagles to feed. The summer of 2015 on the BC coast was a summer with an abundance to eagles. This photo was one chosen from a group that had over thirty eagles feeding in one area. Two of the eagles without the white heads (means they were born this summer) are learning to pick herring out of the water. They follow one of their parents on a diving run and copy their technique hoping for success.
Just like that another season has come to an end. We are grateful for all the wonderful staff and the guests this season. It was an excellent season and we are already looking forward to next May.
One of the highlights of the season was all of the new cubs out. It was awesome to see so many new cubs of the year and that is great news for our bear populations moving forward. We had great spring viewing and this continued through summer. On our river trips we started to see salmon arriving in August and enjoyed some great shoulder season viewing. The fish at the viewing platforms were a little late showing up this year, but viewing during late September at the platforms was great and the estuary viewing remained strong throughout the season.
Out in the whale watching world it was another year that saw large numbers of resident Orca who remained in the area right into October. The Humpback viewing was also great with large numbers feeding in Blackfish Sound. It is so amazing to have these magnificent animals back in our waters in such numbers.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We rebuilt the front deck last spring, utilising cedar cut on site. We will continue with some siding, rooms improvements and hopefully a floating sauna ready for the start of our season.
2026 is already looking like a very busy season for us. We only have limited high season availability so please book early to ensure we have space for your group.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid
Visit our Blog