Tag Archives: Knight Inlet

For The Brids Pt3

These are a few birds that we see often in the estuary and main river while we are looking for Grizzly Bears.  The American Dipper, Cedar Waxwing and Belted Kingfisher.  The Kingfisher is particularly common and can be heard and seen in many areas including right by the lodge.


For The Birds Pt1

The Bald Eagle is a very prominent bird in our area.  It takes them approximately 5 years to get their white head and white tail feathers.  Before that they are a drab brown colour and often look larger then their adult counterparts because of their “poofy plumage.”  The eagles mate for life and it is very hard to tell male from female, although the female is usually larger.  We see them on all our tours both in Johnstone Strait and Knight Inlet.

Grizzly Bears Diving for Salmon

I took this video up at the viewing platforms in late August.  The viewing was great and there are a ton of pink salmon in the pool.  Bears normally do not like to put their ears underwater when looking for salmon.  This year, however we saw a huge increase in “diving bears”

https://www.facebook.com/sailcone/videos/1734088896617433/

Views from the Lodge

grizzly bear lodge

This is another photo taken right from the deck at Sailcone’s Grizzly Bear Lodge.  We spend a lot of time out in Knight Inlet and Johnstone Strait looking for bears and whales.  After a busy day viewing wildlife it is nice to head back to the lodge and take in the views.

 

Grizzly Bear Watching in the estuary

This is our typical area for conducting our spring Grizzly Bear Watching.  River estuaries are rich feeding areas from many animals.  The grass that you see her is Lyngbys sedge.  In the spring it is particularly lush and is a major component of the bear’s diet providing much needed protein.

Looking for spring grizzly bears

Extra Day Grizzly Viewing vs Platform Viewing

After August 25 we view the grizzly bears in Knight Inlet from elevated viewing platforms.  This is usually an extremely productive spot and because of the platforms guests are often able to get reasonably close to the bears.   On a 4 night trip we also explore another river system by truck and on foot.  We stick together as a group and with a little work and strategy are often able to find these familiar Grizzlies feeding along the river.  Platforms are great for viewing bears, but nothing compares with finding a bear on foot in a safe environment and viewing him at “his level”.  The first picture shows a bear on the extra day trip (taken by Felix Rome) and the second is a bear underneath the Knight Inlet viewing platform.

 

grizzly watching knight

 

 

Extra Lodge Day

walk to TrappersFrom the scenic walk along the edge of the river to the view from the deck of Trapper Rick’s cabin the extra day at the lodge with the Trapper is hard to explain. The best explanation was one I got this summer from a guest. He said it is what city people idealized it would be like to live in the woods and enjoy nature without the interruption of job and neighbours.  Maybe a little of Thoreau’s walden pond was part of the explanation.

Trappers deck

Waiting for Salmon

Grizzly Sitting

The viewing stands we use after August 24 offer some interesting photo opportunities.  In the case it is a grizzly taking advantage of a strategically placed rock to rest while it waits for salmon to move up river into the spawning channel. The height provides a better view of the approaching salmon and a good position to launch an attack.

Wild River Day

Trapper Rick's river

 

If you book the extra day in camp we cross Knight Inlet and travel through Thompson Sound to the Kakweikan River and spend a day with Trapper Rick.  This river is located on the BC mainland and we travel by old logging roads to Rick’s cabin. Once we cross the river and start the short hike to Rick’s cabin the first stop is often an abandoned bridge, which provides an excellent view of the river and the spawning salmon in the river. The photo above is looking down river and the small flat area at the end of the portion of the river you can see is the  “front yard” of Rick’s cabin. The photo below shows a guest looking into the fish ladder that bypasses the falls in front of the cabin. This is also the area frequently used by grizzly bears to fish for salmon. If bears are not present then guests may fish for salmon below the falls but while you fish one of the guides is always watching for bears as we do move when they arrive.

Ricks Fish Ladder

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagle soaring overhead

Soaring Bald Eagle

 

Bald eagles are a common site on a Grizzly Bear Lodge tour day. Whether it is a tour to the grizzly bears, whales or a visit to the wild river eagles are found along the shore perched in trees or flying overhead. It takes a fast camera to obtain a good picture of a flying eagle as they to not pause for the photographer. The positive side to the abundance of eagles is that there are numerous opportunities for that “perfect” photo.