Tag Archives: Grizzlies spring grazing

Grizzly thinking?

Itchy Grizzly Bear

The lodge’s grizzly bear tours after August 24th use the viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River. The view of the bears from the stands is from above so the perspective is different that when on the river in the skiff. This photo show a bear just below the stands in a meter and half (4.5 feet) of water. It is sitting down and taking a break from fishing and her three cubs which are eating salmon on the bank about 10 meters (yards) away.

 

Grizzly Bears are omnivorous

Grizzly Bear Grazing

In the spring the grizzly bears we view on lodges wilderness tours are primarily grazers.  They some down to the shores of Knight Inlet to eat the sedge grass which is very high in protein this sustains them until the salmon enter the rivers of British Columbia’s coast in mid-August. The morning grizzly bear tour uses 18 to 20 foot boats to travel up Knight Inlet to the Glendale River where we transfer to smaller flat bottom boats that allow us to drift along the shore to watch and hear the bears eating.

 

Grizzly Family feud continues

Grizzly Family Feud

This photo was taken two weeks after the posting on October 28th and these two cubs are still fighting. We observed these three bears throughout the summer on our grizzly bear watching days on the Glendale River and the family feud was part of their daily activity. This photo was taken from above from the viewing stands, which we use after August 24th, while the photo posted on the 28th was from a boat on the lower river. The location is not important the entertainment value of these bears make the guests stay more enjoyable.

 

 

Fast deer win

grizzlies and dear on beach
Click to enlarge then click again

Grizzly bears are omnivores (everything-eaters) because they eat a variety of plant and animal foods and tend to be opportunity feeders.  On the coast of BC, beginning in the spring, the bears feed on early green vegetation such as skunk cabbage and sedges located in the estuaries and that appear first. Bears access the food in the inter-tidal waters at low tides to and their great sense of smell helps them locate carrion. Even thought grizzly bears can run in an excess of 30 mph about the same as white-tailed deer they are not quite as agile. The deer keep a comfort zone between themselves and the bears while the bear’s weight the energy required to possibly catch the deer with the chance of success and rarely give case.

Spring Grizzly Bear Cub

Spring Grizzly Cub

This grizzly bear cub because of the size is from late May or early June.  The mother grizzlies bring their cubs to this part of Knight Inlet to feed on the beaches and 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 “beach food” is important because the only plant food available at this time of the year is the sedge grass. Sedge grass also very high in protein and with inter-tidal zone food it keeps the grizzly bears in good health until the salmon arrive. And no the cub wad not alone on the beach but far enough from mother for a good solo picture.  If you click on the photo to enlarge it and then zoom in the cub is not licking anything I can see just sticking out it’s tongue.