Tag Archives: Grizzly Bears

Spring Grizzly Bear Bonus

Four Grizzly Bear cubsNot bad for a pocket camera Pentax – Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom. This posting is to let your imagination go and think of the photos with a “good lens” camera. We were close enough that my guests got some great photos, which were shared back at the lodge during the “bragging session”. This is when guests share the day’s photos and exchange email addresses so they can all get the photo they missed.

 

 

 

Grizzly Bear cubs finding

Grizzly cubs and mother

From our position in the viewing stands it was not hard to determine why the cubs were searching. Mother was the goal but more important is the food that they hope she will share. Often the mothers will fish in the deep water because they can pick up dead salmon off the bottom with little effort or waste of calories and also it is harder for the cubs to fight for the salmon while they are swimming.

 

 

 

Grizzly Bear cubs searching

Grizzly cubs looking

Below the viewing stands (after August 24th ) we have two grizzly bear cubs swimming in the morning sun. The stands overlook the natural river as well as the entrance to the man-made spawning channel. These two cubs are not lost but rather on a mission. See tomorrow…

 

 

 

What is the Grizzly looking at? 1 of 2

Grizzly in sedge grass

Prior to August 25th the grizzly bear tours from the lodge view bears in Knight Inlet’s Glendale River estuary. The viewing is from a 5.5 meter (yard) flat bottom skiff, which allows use to move up the river as the tide rises (see Nov. 27th posting). The advantage of the early season tours is that you are at eye level with the grizzlies as this photo shows. What you must realize is the sedge grass this bear is eating is at least a meter (three feet) high so this is not a cub. What is it looking at? See tomorrow’s post….

 

 

 

Returning from a Grizzly Bear Tour 4 of 4

Black Bear on tour

Another ten minutes along the shore we found a black bear that we watched eat barnacles it had scraped off the rocks. It then sat and watched us until we moved on to the lodge.  If you look at the lower part of the photo you will notice the bare spot missing barnacles.

 

 

 

Returning from a Grizzly Bear Tour 3 of 4

grizzly on shore very close

I know the grizzly bears are omnivores but I had never seen one grazing on seaweed. As the photo shows this bear is in good shape for the time of year so this is either a source of salt and iodine for a health reason or this bear has found a food niche that works for him.

 

 

 

Returning from a Grizzly Bear Tour 1 of 4

Grizzly Bear on Shore

Running back to the lodge after a successful grizzly viewing trip we are constantly of the lookout for black bear. The key word is “black” and on this day it was an alert guest that spotted the “brown” spot on the beach that “lifted it’s head” as we moved past.

 

 

Lunch on the float

dock lunch

As mentioned in yesterday’s post it is lunchtime. Madeline (our cook) prepares a wicked picnic lunch that guests enjoy and never able to finish.  The other boats at the dock belong to Tiderip Tours who are doing an estuary tour. After lunch if time permits we may take a tour up the river or return down the inlet looking for more bears and other marine life. See the next four posts…

 

 

 

Returning from the grizzly viewing stands

loading for lunch

We use the viewing stands on Knight Inlet’s Glendale River after August 24th. After an hour and twenty minute ride up the inlet we tie to a float, take a skiff to shore, ride in a van, climb into the viewing stands and watch grizzly bears for two hours. The above photo is part of the return process of getting back into the skiff to return to the float for lunch. The skiff comfortably holds five or six people and even has a ramp to keep your feet dry.