by Steve Selden | Nov 5, 2010 | Tour News
Polar bears sparring in the low willows of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. NHA photo.
Winds calmed down to occasional moderate gusts as the windswept tundra glowed with shimmering ice crystals and nice light reflecting off the frozen thermokarsts.
Guide Melissa brought her group to the vicinity of the tundra lodge where frequent sparring thrilled all. In contrast to the mock-fighting, there were also a good number of resting bears scattered in and around the willow stands enjoying some respite from the hammering winds of yesterday. A unique occurrence (at least in the polar bear realm) of a female pushing a male around the area caught the group’s attention. This continued for a good while and then the male finally resisted and pushed the female off toward the coast. Interesting to watch the nuances of territorial interactions. A short time later a couple of younger males became curious and approached the rover, lingering with curious gazes and sniffs to the air.
A polar bear inspects a polar rover on the tundra in Churchill. NHA photo.
Travelers with Guide Elise also found the day’s prime viewing out around the lodge area. Elise called the scene “epic” as nearly a dozen bears came upon the area throughout the day. Ample sparring bouts also provided thrills to all intermingled with stretching, lounging bears in the willows. A couple even dug day beds in the snow sheltered on the leeward side of willow patches. One of these larger males rose up from his rest and pounced against the rear of the rover. After lingering under the back grate, he walked around to the side and peered into the drivers window up on hind feet. License and registration please….oh and a big hunk of seal meat or perhaps muktuk!
A juvenile male scurrying away from a few other larger males capped off a good day in the CWMA. Traveling by Halfway Point on the way back in the afternoon provided awesome views of the Hudson Bay…calmed considerably since yesterday’s blow.
Polar bears mock fighting in the protection of the willows. NHA photo.
A wrap-up of the past week’s tundra lodge highlights presented some unique spectacles for lucky wildlife enthusiasts. Numerous bears at lodge moving about, but none have made a claim for more than a few days… yet. Plenty of sparring between bears and some big boys have been around, including one featured in some previous photos with two parallel scars across its nose. Guide Bonnie and group witnessed nursing yearlings and sow with a radio collar. This group also had a bear swimming in the bay that came over to her vehicle afterward. Towel please….I’m ccccccold! Guide Colby and travelers viewed two sets of Sows with coy and also a larger male feeding on a tundra swan carcass…possibly a juvenile that was not developed enough to make the flight south? Other juveniles were seen near halfway point a week or so ago, so this makes sense.
Finally, in an odd anecdotal story, guests on the lodge figured out that one couple was now living in the same house that another man in the group had grown up in! The backyard tree house still stands in the yard that was built for the former occupant when he was a kid! These folks were brought together somehow in a small sub-arctic lodge in the middle of vast tundra. I won’t even say it.
by Steve Selden | Nov 4, 2010 | Tour News
An otherwise calm, uneventful weather day turned by afternoon and kicked up high North winds in gusts up to 85kph. The winds turned moderate temperatures into frigid ones and foreshadowed another possible storm on the way.
Polar bears out on the land prepared for the windy onslaught by hunkering down in willows and using drifts and snowbanks as protection. It’s not the cold that bothers them….as they are, er..in fact polar bears..it’s the wind kicking up dust, ice crystals and just confusing they are intense, high powered olfactory senses. Polar bears rely so much on their sense of smell that when the wind gusts so furiously it can be likened to beings, such as humans, who rely on sight so intently; walking around in complete darkness not really knowing what’s around the next corner. For polar bears, the next corner is on or in the tundra, rocks or forest. Polar bears, like many wild animals, get a little weary when uncertainty comes into play.
Guide Brent experienced a wide array of this tentative but interesting behavior on a day excursion with his group out in the CWMA (Churchill Wildlife Management Area). Starting the day out near the tundra lodge, the group witnessed various young, very clean, bears moving in and out of the area. Many of these bears were so young they had no evident scars yet from active sparring thus enhancing their pristine beauty. Off in the distance, a few big males were going at it with some short sparring spats but not as prolonged as previous days.
Polar bear checking the trail behind. Claudia Isabey photo.
As the morning waned, more bears were spotted moving, though not engaging other bears or rovers as much as other days. Winds were just starting to escalate and the animals were seemingly searching out the prime sheltered locales. Before they reached their spots and before the winds really tipped the scales, the group was enthralled with vistas of bears crossing glass-like frozen thermokarsts (shallow ponds across the tundra). Since temperatures had warmed somewhat in the past two days, the surfaces melted slightly and now had iced up again like a hockey rink. Bears were sliding and slipping a little as they crossed the surfaces. Some bruins were even testing parts of the ice with thumping actions …possibly practicing for later on when the Hudson Bay starts freezing. Observing these bears crossing the ice clearly isolates the pigeon -towed front-leg movements as well as some tentative sprawl-crawl steps taken on seemingly weaker ice. Photographs of all these actions as well as the ones capturing the bear’s reflections on the ice will all be lifelong time capsules of this wild frontier.
Polar bear mother and cub on a frozen pond in Churchill. Claudia Isabey photo.
When the wind finally started to peak, most of the bears hit the willows. Brent noticed that many however were not in their oft -sighted early season sleepy poses. Numerous animals were backed in against the willows and another good number were sometimes standing amongst the willows while engaging in some pawing or light boxing. More sporadic in these interactions, the bears were definitely exhibiting another unique, unusual behavior influenced by the ever-changing weather of the North. Red-tinged willows also made for dramatic contrast against the striking white fur they surrounded.
As dusk closed in on the afternoon, wind gusts were rocking the rover and shearing off the tops of the whitecaps in the bay. Earlier, Brent thought he even noticed breakers rolling across his traveler’s soup bowls as the wind pressed hard from the North. The rocky beaches were getting hammered with kelp and foam and even though venturing onto the rear observation deck was a challenge, it was worth the try to experience the arctic gales.
Finally, the rover set a course back toward launch as the group looked back over the wide open menagerie of icy ponds and glossy, lichen-speckled rocks peeking through the snow-patched ground cover. The sunset was just taking shape and back in town all would get a good look as it sunk into Button Bay, like a glowing anchor splashing up beautifully fragmented diffused colors into the arctic sky.
Sunset over the boreal forest in Churchill. Peter Herbert photo.
by Steve Selden | Nov 3, 2010 | Tour News
Northern lights shining down on the Churchill inukshuk. Alora Meisel photo
The highlight of the day actually came at night…with “high lights” shimmering through the black night sky. The first major aurora borealis display shone faintly in the East as Guide Amy and group returned from a perfect night rover excursion. By the time they arrived in Churchill and stationed themselves behind the town complex by the Hudson Bay, a full on green wave of lights was reflecting off the water. After a beautiful, calm, clear night on the tundra, this was the perfect finale.
Aurora blazing above Churchill. Katherine Hamilton photo.
Earlier in the late afternoon, the group started an amazing evening excursion with a sow and coy just a half hour down the trail. With the early evening light providing depth for quality photo’s, the rover lingered for a good while before heading toward the tundra lodge vicinity.
With a little bit of a warm up the colors of the tundra were once again poking through existing snow cover. Blues and grays of strewn glacial rock accent the browns and reds of the land. Approaching the lodge, the panorama view gave the group sight of many bears. Two sets of males sparring got the most attention….we all seem to love a good brawl. Hockey night in Canada! A number of other single bears roamed the area and just as the group was preparing to leave, a big male came around behind the rover and lay down on his back to stretch with paws spread apart in every direction while occasionally scratching his belly. The sleepy, relaxed bear wasn’t going anywhere soon and finally it was the group who needed to depart back to launch after a fine evening in the CWMA. Not too often that a group decides to go before an animal does.
A Snoozing polar bear on a clear Churchill day. Paul Brown photo.
Guide Eric and group also took in the impressive aurora by the inukshuk behind the complex capping off another select day on the land. More males sparring took up most of the morning as the group watched intently near the point North of the tundra lodge. In the afternoon, following lunch, a male was licking boots through the steel grate of the back deck. Then a young, very curious female spent ample time investigating the rover thinking it might be a possible food source. ” A giant box of cracker jacks” is how Eric described this group….a description that leaves plenty of room for discussion.
Toward the end of the day, a big, artistic, male polar bear decided to use the side of the rover as his canvas. Muddy finger painting was the medium used this day as his paws rested against the side of the rover. Another good day and a great trip overall.
Later in the evening, as the aurora was fading, a sub-adult polar bear was chased from town on the North end of Button St. toward the bay. Another bear was chased with cracker shells by Manitoba conservation officers in the late afternoon yesterday just outside of town by Brian LaDoon’s dog kennel area. This season has seen a dramatic difference from last year as the number of bear encounters by conservation officers in Churchill has been minimal to this point. Despite a busy late Summer of bear “occurences”…and incarceration of bears as early as August, there have been only 16 bears held in the compound by the airport to date. It’s not unusual for the “jail”..er..compound to be near capacity by this time of year. Many sources report the overall health of bears in the area as good. Perhaps bears are staying away from town these days as a result and therefore staying out of trouble. There’s still time for that to change.
by Steve Selden | Nov 2, 2010 | Tour News
Gray clouds covered the Churchill region and the Hudson Bay barely sported any surface ripples amid temperatures hovering just above the freezing mark. A fine All-Saints day to all.
One of Churchill’s finest polar bears. Paul Brown photo.
Guide Amy and her group had a “stellar” day on land in the CWMA. Numerous polar bear encounters kept the group enthralled. The day started slowly but quickly picked up pace when, out at the tidal flats in the East, two bears approached from a long distance farther East. Unable to recognize them as bears at first, they slowly revealed themselves as they approached the rover. As they ambled along, one became even more curious and stopped under the vehicle to put on a boot sniffing/licking clinic. It’s amazing the distance these creatures can cover so quickly when they seem to be moving at a snail’s pace. One moment they appear to be a speck on the horizon and the next moment their tongue is on your boot….hmmmm.
Following this experience, the group had an encore as two more males came from the same distance in the East. Bears seem to be on the move from Cape Churchill as October turns the corner into November. These two were heftier males and just like the other two, one, the bigger guy, lingered and sniffed the previous bears’ tracks. Both of these occurrences were unexpected and once in a lifetime happenings for all the travelers. Some more tundra time was spent along the coast watching resident polar bears lounging lazily in their self-constructed kelp beds along the coastal beaches. Convenient to bed down in something to nibble on as a snack. One of these bears was lying sprawled with belly up as the group watched and photographed from a short distance. I think he ate his bed.
Sparring Churchill polar bears. Paul Brown photo.
Guide Eric had his group out by the tundra lodge and packed a lot of action into a short day. Phenomenal sparring action sprung up at the lodge between two good -sized males to everyone’s satisfaction. After a good amount of time there, the rover headed back Northwest and landed at Halfway Point. Churchill is unique in that three ecosystems marine, boreal forest, and tundra-all overlap and comes together in one region. Consequently, wildlife encounters can be varied and full of surprises as animals overlap as well. Out at the point, the group had a great show. A couple of gyrfalcons were stalking the last of the snow buntings as they fluttered around the willows. Some ringed and harbor seals were bobbing in the shallows just off the kelp-strewn beach…heads popping up and down like a carnival game. Along the spit of land curving out into the bay, a snowy owl flew in and landed on a far point. An arctic fox appeared and proceeded to circle the owl a few times while he turned in sync with him; hips swiveling the whole time. Oh..and yeah..a polar bear was resting peacefully in a rocky nook along the rise. Eric summarized the whole scene as hitting “an arctic grand slam”…..the Rangers could have used one of those! Congrats Giants!
A pretty amazing day and the group would be ready to head out again tomorrow to compliment this day.
by Steve Selden | Nov 1, 2010 | Tour News
Halloween in Churchill is one of the most unique events in North America. Kids go out en mass, depending on the weather of course, and navigate the streets guarded on either end by locals and fire department volunteers. Pick-up trucks with spotlights attached scour the area to ensure no polar bears appear and steal any of the kid’s candy. Nobody is allowed to dress in ghost white for fear of being mistaken for a polar bear. Although this night was clear, the wind can whip up blowing snow and visibility can get pretty low. No chances need to be taken …..we don’t need any anesthetized five-year-olds. ..although surely parents have considered such an option after mega candy ingestion.
Male polar bears sparring near the Hudson Bay coast in Churchill. Paul Brown photo.
With the previous night’s fog lifting, the day became optimal for taking it all in out on the land. Guide Paul had his group out at the point just Northeast of the tundra lodge where they witnessed excellent sparring. The calm Hudson Bay was the backdrop for the two big males honing their defense skills on the narrow spit of land. After this epic scene, a more subdued male slept for a long time right next to the rover as the group enjoyed a hearty lunch and recounted a couple of amazing days in the CWMA. At times the bear would stretch and display seemingly contrived poses…really hamming it up for the onlookers. Lots of photos were there for the taking. Later toward the end of the day, the group sighted some rock ptarmigan along Christmas Lake esker while checking out the terminal edge of the boreal forest. Two male bears walking within view rounded out a full day of fantastic viewing.
Polar bears sparring in the willows. Paul Brown photo.
Guide Sue and clan viewed numerous bears with various interactions throughout the day. As the fog cleared out early giving way to an amazing sunrise, a collared sow with two cubs were spotted near some willows out east around the flats. Then a mom with coy nursing from time to time in the same vicinity fascinated travelers for a good part of the morning.
The highlight of the day was yet another seal kill on the edge of the Hudson Bay just at the end of Ptarmigan Alley on the coast road. Several polar bears enjoyed the fresh kill and then awhile after four bears were play-fighting utilizing their rejuvenated energy. With the inordinate number of seal -kill reports this Fall, one might wonder whether polar bears are becoming more adept at hunting seals in the open water. This could be an adaptation and compensation for the shrinking sea ice season…one can only hope. Darwin’s principle at work?
A polar bear scavenging a seal carcass. Paul Brown photo.
Topping off a fantastic day the group sighted an adult, white and a juvenile, tan glacous gull over the Hudson Bay. This is the largest gull in the world and a great check off the list for avid birders. Some stubborn snow buntings and two semi-palmated plovers, rare for this time of year,rounded out the bird action for the day.
