Tag Archives: grizzly

What Kind of Bear? 1 of 3

Black Bear BROWN

This photo may give some of the readers of this blog a chance to think. Our grizzly bear tours travel up Knight Inlet from the lodge on Minstrel Island to the area of Glendale Cove on a daily basis. This photo was taken several years ago on one of these morning tours and the guest in the boat were not sure that the guide was correct in his statement of the kind of bear. The next two posts will show you the choices.

 

 

Grazing Grizzly Bears

Grizzly with triplets

Grizzly bear viewing prior to August 25th is along the shore and in the estuary of the Glendale River. This is the area the mothers first bring their cubs in the spring. There is an abundance of high protein sedge grass as well as turning over beach rocks for the crawling protein. This photo is from early July so these cubs are five of six months old. At this time of the year we are in a 5.5 meter (yard) skiff, which allows us into the shallow water along the shore and in the river. This photo was taken with a Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom that is a good quality point and shoot but most guest have better cameras so imagine the pictures they have.

 

 

Grizzly Move Over

grizzly on causeway

Viewing grizzly bears after August 24th means that we drive over a logging road to viewing platforms that overlook the entrance to a man-made spawning channel. The stand we use is located at the end of a finger of land that goes between the channel and the natural river so we have water on three sides. This also means the road we use is also the road the bears use when crossing from the river to the entrance to the spawning area. Grizzlies frequently pass close to the stands and as we leave the area after our allotted time we often need to stop and wait for bears to clear the road.

 

 

Grizzlies Fighting or Playing?

Grizzly bears fighting

Although this may look like a serious fight it is not. In late August after the salmon appear in the Glendale River the number of bears in the area increases from 10 to 12 to more than 40 but there is still so much food that it is not necessary to fight for a fishing spot. These are siblings doing what they normally do after they have had enough to eat – playing.

 

 

Grizzly Cooling Off?

mating grizzlies

Spring grizzly bear tours from the Lodge are looking for bears along the shore of Knight Inlet but mostly in bay and estuary of the Glendale River. The grizzlies come to the shore for the protein rich sedge grass and to turn over rocks for the crabs, clams, barnacles, amphipods and other tiny invertebrates. The male grizzlies come in late May and June, as this is the mating season and also the reason that this female is in the water. A male grizzly kept moving along the shore as this female stayed in the water for close to an hour until he moved back up the beach. The August 1st posting shows this determined male.

 

Close up Grizzly

Grizzly Bear Head

A close up photograph on a grizzly bear is interesting but it does not show the true majesty of the bear. If you need a comparison check the photos in “Grizzlies June July August” and “Grizzlies September October” at the top of the page.

 

 

Grizzly Spotting

Click to enlarge then click again
Click to enlarge then click again

This is the case where the grizzly is doing the spotting. We were in a skiff in the Glendale River estuary on a morning grizzly bear tour from the lodge. The tide was starting to rise so we were just starting to move up the river when this large male grizzly walked out of the sedge grass toward our boat. As the photo shows its head was up and it was on a mission we were just hopping we were not the mission. It passed or skiff about 30 meters (yards) away and paid us little interest it was then we realized it must be smelling the small yacht in the bay cooking bacon for breakfast. The wind must have shifted because it soon returned to eating the sedge grass and rolling rocks.

 

 

Grizzly bear zoo

Grizzly wants in

One of the viewing platforms we use in the fall has a ramp that is covered with a metal cage. For some reason the juvenile grizzlies use this as a back rub and are curious that we are in the cage and they are free. This is like being in at “zoo” except we are the ones in a cage.

 

 

Grizzly Bear Relaxing 1 of 2

Grizzly Bear or Dog

Viewing grizzly bears in the fall after August 25 we travel up the Glendale River and use viewing stands overlooking the river and the entrance to a man-made spawning channel. The bears in the area have accepted our presence to the point that they will lie on the beach to dry in the sun or for a short nap. This can also be a break from fishing, which allows the food to settle down / digest and make room for more.

 

 

A Classic Grizzly Pose

Grizzly with salmon

This may be the photo of choice for our guests but it is also an interesting photo that reveals much information. First is that this bear is not very hungry because the fish is hanging from its mouth and not moving so it has been dead awhile and not yet eaten. Second is that there are likely allot of salmon in the area and this grizzly is not worried about eating fast and trying to catch another. Third that this is not a bear with cubs or they would be close trying for the salmon. Forth that there are other grizzlies close that have this bears attention and they may be a challenge causing it to move off the river. Fifth that the white water indicates that there has been a recent rain causing the river to rise and run a little faster than normal. But our guests are more interested in getting a good photo than the background information until they are explaining the photo to a friend back home.