Tag Archives: Ealges

Guide Photos

eagle sunning
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Yes there is a bald eagle on the centre of the rocky island. The area between Minstrel Island the home of Grizzly Bear Lodge and the shore of Vancouver Island along Johnstone Strait has hundreds of small islands. On the whale watching tour from the lodge we pass many islands and along their shore are dozens of eagles and often black bears.  The black bears require a low tide to encourage them to scour the beach for food. This inter-tidal zone “food” is high in protein and is made up of crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The guests that have not spent much time on coastal waters are always amazed at the amount of wildlife that can be viewed before we get to the area of the humpback whales, killer whales and other marine mammals.

 

Interesting Guest Photos

eagle watching
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It is harder to get a good picture of a bald eagle than one would think. Not because there are few eagles because eagles are found on the grizzly bear tours, the whale safari and the extra day at the wild river. First is that eagle tend to sit near the tops of trees making their back ground either a blue or a cloudy sky. Second is to position the boat far enough away from the eagle so the photo seems on the same level as the eagle but close enough for a good photo. It all comes down to finding a eagle low in a tree close to the water and wildlife in not always cooperative and eagles will often fly further down the shore or higher if approached to closely. The answer in the digital age is many photos and a little luck and you will have one like Lynn Morris’s “Eagle in a Tree”.

 

 

 

Interesting Guest Photos

eagle feeding
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A variety of wildlife is found on all the day trips from Grizzly Bear Lodge and one of the popular for photos is the bald eagle. James has produced an excellent photo of a bald eagle coming into land to feed on a pink salmon in the river by the viewing stands. This is the ideal time for eagles as it is not necessary to hunt for salmon rather they can scavenge along the bank of the river. Many grizzly bears are selective in their eating of salmon leaving many partially eaten fish for the eagles. The riverbank becomes a buffet for the eagle, crow, heron and pine marten.

 

Whale Watching Safari – 4 of 5

stetter sea lions
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bald eagle
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As the day progresses on a whale watching safari the sun tends to burn off the fog and normally by noon it is necessary to position the boat to get the sun at our back for better photos. Mid-morning we have a break in Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island and although we have a good picnic lunch and cold drinks on board guest often want a hot drink and especially to use the bathrooms. Heading back across Johnstone Straits to resume out wildlife viewing we stop by Stubbs Island and enjoy the Steller sea lions sunning on the rocky islands. Close by in the trees are many bald eagles posing for photographs.

Bald Eagle landing

eagle landing
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Perfect photo of a bald eagle landing or taking off either way it is still a great picture. We cannot guarantee “this” photo but there are many eagles in our viewing area. From the eagles in the tree near the lodge’s dock to any number of trees while on a day watching grizzly bears or on a whale watching excursion. Bald eagles are often seen picking small fish or herring from the water, feeding along the shore on recent catches or in the river picking on the salmon left by the grizzly bears.

Andreas & Steffi Tacke, Germany – 2

eagle fishing
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The only place that I can think of that would make this photo possible is the front deck of the Grizzly Bear Lodge.  The boats we spend most of the tour day in are not high enough to offer this overhead view of a bald eagle.  Eagles are common in the area of the lodge but most of the time they are overhead but on occasion they do come down to feed in front of the lodge.

Grizzly Bear and bald eagle

grizzly and eagle
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Two of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest best fishers, a grizzly bear and a bald eagle.  This photo was taken in the mouth of Knight Inlet’s Glendale River an estuary, which becomes filled with salmon after mid-August.  Once the salmon have arrived the eagles that are normally found along the shore of the Inlet move to the river mouths, as fishing becomes much easier. Eagles are an opportunist feeder and the remains of salmon left by the grizzly bear provide the ideal opportunity for an eagle.

Eagles on tour

eagle waiting
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“Bald eagles are believed to mate for life. A pair constructs an enormous stick nest—one of the bird-world’s biggest—high above the ground and tends to a pair of eggs each year. Immature eagles are dark, and until they are about five years old, they lack the distinctive white markings that make their parents so easy to identify. Young eagles roam great distances. Florida birds have been spotted in Michigan, and California eagles have traveled all the way to Alaska.” A quote from National Geographic.  In our viewing area eagles are common on the whale watching and grizzly bear tours until the salmon have arrived in the rivers in mid-August.  At this time the eagles move to the rivers and are less common on whale watching days bur still enough for good pictures.

 

Bald Eagle Fishing

bald esgle with salmon
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Grizzly bears are not the only fishers in the area of Grizzly Bear Lodge that have their own style of fishing. Eagles are often seen picking fish off the surface of the water as we travel up Knight Inlet to the grizzly bears or to Johnstone Strait to view the whales. However in most cases they are grabbing herring or small fish not necessarily a salmon the size that the eagle in the photo has caught. A fish this size often means a swim to shore by the eagle.  Yes eagles do swim but not by choice.  It normally occurs when the salmon caught is too big to lift out of the water and they use their wings to swim to shore. If they are observed from a reasonable distance they will swim with the fish in their claws however if approached to close I have seen them release the catch and fly away. This is a rare photo and should not be expected on a daily basis even though there are many opportunities for eagle pictures on each tour from the lodge.

Bald eagle feeding

Glen's eagle

 

“Once an eagle spots a fish swimming or floating near the water surface, it approaches its prey in a shallow glide and then snatches the fish out of the water with a quick swipe of its talons. Eagles can open and close their talons at will; although, a hungry eagle can be dragged into the water when refusing to release a heavy fish. Unfortunately, the eagle might drown during the encounter with the fish; eagles are strong swimmers, but if the water is very cold, it may be overcome by hypothermia. If an eagle falls into the water during an aerial fight over food with another eagle or accidentally falls into the water, they are able to take flight from the water surface. Because of the energy expended during hunting, an eagle has to spend a lot of time resting quietly. It’s estimated that only one out of eighteen attempts at attacking its prey is successful. Note: a bald eagle’s lifting power is about 4 pounds.” American Bald Eagle Information at baldeagleinfo.comThis photo was provided by Glen one of the lodge’s guides and was taken near the lodge on Minstrel Island BC.