Live from Churchill: Nov 2, 2009
A daily field report on polar bears from our guide Steve Selden in our Churchill, Manitoba office! Check out our polar bear tours here.
Polar bears in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Steve Morello Photo.
Sunny skies and cold, cold temperatures around 15°F were the order of the day yesterday and the Polar Bears were on the move all over the tundra and in and around Churchill. Just outside of the city limits, Conservation Officers were busy patrolling to keep the bears at “Bay”…as in the Hudson Bay and out of the town.
Another bear lift at the compound, second in two days, drew a huge crowd as a massive bear was raised and delivered north. Churchill Operational staff scrambled to gather groups in town and transport them to the lift near the airport. All came together nicely as nearly all our travelers were able to view the unique, surreal scene. The groups quickly retreated to their respective buses from the biting cold. What an incredible event.
On the tundra, it was business as usual with plenty of bears to go around. Guide Elise and her loyal travelers counted up 30 bears throughout the day. Many wandered toward the shore as the cold seemed to persuade them to do. It does seem that colder temps tend to convince the bears to gravitate toward the coast a little more as they associate the chill with increased ice. Once the ice forms solid out into the bay, the bears will start to test the surface. In a few weeks, they will move out onto the bay and start the winter quest for seals as sustenance. Just the edges of the bay are frozen at this point so there’s still time on land. (more…)
