Tag Archives: Grizzly Bears

Grizzly Mother and Cubs Foraging on the Beach

watching grizzly bears rolling rocks

This photo could be from this time of the year because Grizzly Bear Lodge starts their wildlife tours in mid-May however the cubs are a little large so I would make it mid-June. In the early spring the bears are on 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 “beach food” is important because berries are relatively scarce during spring and bears will continue to loose weight until well into June.

Grizzly Bear Eating Seaweed?

watching bears eating seaweed

This is more common than one would think. It is not a result of the lack of other food it is more because seaweed is full of vitamins and minerals –vitamins: A, C, E, K and B and minerals: iodine, selenium, calcium and iron. Not sure how many grizzly bears have a degree in advanced nutrition but over the centuries they seem to have learned what is good for their system.

Grizzly Bear Grazing

viewing grass eating grizzlies

In the spring grizzly bears come to the Glendale River estuary to feed on the sedge grass as it is up to 25% protein and the berries in the coastal forests are not yet available. At lower tides when more of the beach is exposed the bears will spent more time turning over rocks in the inter-tidal zone looking for food high in protein such as crab, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. Much of a grizzly’s time in the spring is spent in search of food. This changes in the fall once the salmon arrive and food is more abundant. Spring grizzly bear watching is along the shore from the water while the fall viewing is from a stationary platform.

Trapper’s Grizzly Adventure 2 of 2

GRIZZLY BEAR with salmon

….the second is the bear with a salmon in its mouth. Note: I used (Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom) that does not have a great zoom feature but I know the guests got great pictures. It is an interesting sensation watching a grizzly when the river is not that deep and the bear could cross without much effort. And even though Rick knows the grizzlies and has spent twenty years on the river he is still armed and prepared.

Trapper’s Grizzly Adventure 1 of 2

watching a grizzly bear fishing

Your extra day at the lodge is a tour with Trapper Rick who is cross Knight Inlet, through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River. This remote river is located on the BC mainland and we travel by road, cross a river by boat and a short level hike to Rick’s cabin. Just below the cabin about 200 meters (yards) on the river one is able to sit and overlook and area where the grizzly bears come to fish salmon. The first photo shows guests looking across the river….

Fall Tour Grizzly Bear

Grizzly eating a salmon

 

The fall grizzly bear watching trips are from two viewing platforms located on a man made spawning channel adjacent to the Glendale River. If you go to to “Categories” and select “Wildlife Tour Itinerary” and follow the instructions you will have an excellent aerial view of the platforms. The platforms are about 3 meters (10 feet) off the ground, covered with room form eight to ten people but we limit tours to a maxim of five. The bears are fishing for salmon although they do stop to eat grass and berries.

 

Spring Tour Grizzly Bear

 

Grizzly Bear eating barnacles

Spring grizzly bear tours are from mid-May to August 24th. This is the date we are permitted to use the viewing platform on the Glendale River. The spring tours are along the shore of Knight Inlet, Glendale Cove and in the Glendale River. Along the Inlet the grizzlies scrap the barnacles and muscles from the rocks as shown in the photo. In the Cove they turn over 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 plant food is relatively scarce during spring and bears will continue to loose weight until well into June. In the river they graze on sedge grass, dig root, and enjoy the berry patches. There is allot of activity along the shore and the grizzlies are close and at eye level for good photos.

Fuzzy grizzly 2 of 2

Mother and cub

In an instant the mother was in protective mode. Another grizzly appeared on the beach and even though the new bear was a hundred meters (yards) away mother was on alert. The new grizzly was a young male so the mother and cub continued up the beach and the male moved off the beach. No one wants to confront a mother with a cub.

Fuzzy grizzly 1 of 2

Grizzly mother and cub

If you have read much of the blog you will know that my camera is a waterproof Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom. It is a good camera but does not have a “great” distance lens so I sometime zoom in with the computer and it gets a little “fuzzy”. The point being is that I saw the guest’s photo back at the lodge (because that is what happens in the evening) and they were great. In this photo the cub was using mother as a play toy but that all changed in tomorrow’s post….

What is the grizzly watching? 2 of 2

Transfer skiffWe are loading the skiff to return to a float for our picnic lunch after a morning on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River viewing platform. The grizzly of yesterday’s post was further along the beach and yes we were safe even though I was taking photo’s I did have bear spray at hand. Note it was a day with five guests as there were two boats and guides as we only allow four per boat. Even if we ignored the bear or it was closer the key is that we were a large group (seven) and bear would leave, as it had no reason to come closer. We were not preventing it from feeding nor did it have a cub.