Churchill Photos of the Week – After the Storm

Alex De Vries – Magnifico took these awesome wave shots of the Hudson Bay in Churchill after the recent blizzard slammed the region. Winds up to 80 kilometers per hour were stirring up the water with ferocious results. During the heart of the polar bear season, this storm has churned up the Hudson Bay to a mighty froth. I have been on the water with big rollers but nothing close to this action. You can envision how travel on the Hudson Bay for early mariners and explorers was during the early days of ship travel. What an experience with the added stress of ice forming in the fall and being stranded through the Arctic winter.

Hudson Bay waves Churchill

Waves on the Hudson Bay after the storm. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

Hudson Bay waves in Churchill

Hudson Bay turmoil after a winter storm. Alex De Vries -Magnifico photo.

 

Hudson bay waves in Churchill

The Hudson Bay all stirred up in Churchill. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

Waves crashing in the Hudson Bay Churchill, Manitoba

Hudson Bay waves crashing along Churchill shore. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

Churchill Sunday Photo – Seal Meal

Check out this sequence of images by Alex De Vries – Magnifico in Churchill. The avid photographer has been on a tear lately with some very impressive shots from the polar bear capital of the world. With the continuing growing effects of global warming, opportunistic polar bears have been forced to increase their range of food sources and amount of those sources to keep body fat high throughout the year. Enjoy!

Polar bear and seal Churchill, MB

polar bear and seal kill churchill, MB

Polar bear and seal kill Churchill, Manitoba

polar bear and seal kill

polar bear and seal kill churchill, Manitoba

 

Northern Lights Churchill Cabin

Can you believe the texture of these fantastic northern lights shots from Churchill photographer Alex De Vries – Magnifico? Just because aurora borealis season doesn’t technically start until January, that doesn’t mean the lights can’t appear in this dramatic fashion over a rustic cabin in Churchill, Manitoba…as they tend to do. Alex has a knack for finding new and creative settings in and around Churchill where he can capture the essence of this amazing phenomena! We are surely all getting excited about polar bear season which is just around the corner but northern lights season has an allure of its own that is indescribable. Lights can happen year – round in Churchill and the polar regions, however, polar bears can only be seen with assurance in October and November. Luckily polar bears have migrated to the ice by the time travelers arrive for northern lights in January! Both seasons are worth the trip north.

Churchill northern lights Alex De Vries Magnifico

Churchill cabin and northern lights

Aurora Borealis in Churchill, Manitoba

Northern lights cabin in Churchill, Manitoba

Churchill Weekly Photo – Polar Bear Feast

 

Polar bears in Churchill

Polar bears feasting on a beluga whale carcass in Churchill. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

This polar bear shot from Churchill photographer Alex De Vries – Magnifico shows how polar bears are evolving in a time when global warming is limiting their ability to hunt seals in the winter season on the Hudson Bay ice. Seals closer to land in summer and beluga whales have become prey when they used to have no fears of being hunted in summer. Evolution at its finest!

Churchill’s Polar Bears of August

Polar bear, two gulls and raven in Churchill. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

polar bear in Churchill

Sleepy polar bear on the Precambrian shield. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

Polar bears and beluga whale carcass churchill, Manitoba

Three polar bears feast on a beluga whale carcass in Churchill while gulls await the scraps. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

polar bear in Churchill

A curious polar bear surveys the area from behind a rock outcrop. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

 

polar bear in Churchill

A large, healthy polar bear emerges from a nap in the rocks on the Hudson Bay shore. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.

August in Churchill can be polar bear sighting time and this year seems to be setting the bar higher than ever. The polar bears photographed by Alex De Vries – Magnifico appear quite healthy and active. In fact, a big bear was spotted in the middle of Churchill just today. It seems that the polar bears are adapting to more ice-free days and finding alternative food sources. As you can see in one photo, a group of three polar bears graze on a beluga whale carcass adding to their fat storage and subsequent energy reserves that will allow them to make it through the fall while they wait for Hudson Bay ice to form.  Summer bear sightings have increased almost every year and particularly in August, the buffer time before the Churchill polar bear season starts in October into November. Enjoy!

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