One of the most spectacular and soulful activities to do in Churchill is kayaking with the thousands of beluga whales that inhabit the Churchill River and surrounding Hudson Bay in the summer months. Seeing the curious belugas from three or four different perspectives rounds out an overall experience with these amazing creatures! Kayaking with belugas in the water is as close as you can get both physically and spiritually. Enjoy!
Beluga whales are naturally curious and friendly toward humans in boats and kayaks. Recent pressure from Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans to enforce restrictions on approaching beluga whales as well as distance restrictions of 100 meters were met with frustration and anger from local tour companies. This video shows the gregarious characteristics of the belugas. Enjoy!
Enjoy this awesome short video from National Geographic with interesting facts about majestic Beluga Whales and their environment. Churchill Summer travelers are currently experiencing these magnificent animals right now in the Churchill River and Hudson Bay. We will be posting updates, photos and videos from Churchill periodically as the summer progresses. Stay tuned for all the exciting news from the “beluga capital of the world”!
The exciting news from Churchill is polar bears have been spotted out at the Tundra Lodge in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA) and they are becoming more active as the season begins here. The first Natural Habitat Adventures group at the lodge guided by Colby and Eric came quite close to a big male bear out by first tower as their group explored away from the base lodge on a rover. A few others lounged around the lodge moving about the willows.
Majestic polar bear resting in Churchill. Katie DeMeulles photo.
More exciting news from polar bear season Churchill is there are still at least 30 – 40 beluga whales still lingering around the mouth of the Churchill River and along the coast in the Hudson Bay. Some travelers took a helicopter journey and spotted the beluga pods below..what a sight for this late in the fall! I imagine there will be some more time for beluga’s here though soon they will depart for the Hudson Straits up north.
Moose on the tundra in Churchill. Madison Stevens/PBI photo.
Other sightings by our friends at Polar Bears International (PBI) included numerous black foxes- a color morph of the red fox – as well as traditional colored red foxes. A couple of Arctic fox have been spotted as well. Ptarmigan, Arctic hares and numerous bird species have also filled out the wildlife sightings for travelers over the past week. PBI travelers also were surprised by a large moose galloping along the tundra between ponds out in the CWMA!
Northern lights made an appearance on a couple of nights and were some of the best since last aurora season in February. Greens and pinks shimmered across the tundra in the darkened sky of the CWMA.
Intense northern lights in Churchill. Drew Hamilton photo.
Perhaps the most incredible sighting was also by the PBI group. They witnessed a Peregrine falcon feeding on a gull on the fringe of the willows. They observed the web of nature and the life-cycles of these hearty creatures firsthand!
Peregrine falcon feasting on prey of a gull. Madison Stevens/PBI photo.
We are only in the first full week of polar bear season and already are witnessing surprises from every area out on the tundra!
A short video clip by National Geographic documenting springtime for beluga whales in the north. Belugas migrate south in the spring from the Hudson Straits to the estuaries of the Hudson Bay. Thousands of belugas make the trip to the warmer waters and shallow, gravelly rivers to give birth, nurture young and gorge on capelin and other plentiful marine organisms. There’s no other time like spring and summer in the Churchill region. Life is bursting from the tundra and the sea and rivers. What an amazing time to experience the northern web of life…Arctic style!
