This National CBC news special on Churchill and the rail line is so touching to those that know the heart and pride of the people of Churchill. Aired last night this video footage brings to light the terrible strife the town has endured since May. We will keep you posted on any progress in repairing the Hudson Bay Line during the ensuing weeks of polar bear season. I’m sure there will be opportunities to help the town as well. Churchill is all of our thoughts!
This early season in Nunavut’s capital city Iqaluit has signaled the beginning of a northern winter season. All across the Arctic and sub- Arctic, the temperatures are dropping and snow has either fallen or soon will be blowing in the air across tundra and Precambrian rock outcrops.
Churchill’s polar bear season, which begins in a week, will take on a different feel this year as the Hudson Bay Rail line is still inoperable and repairs are surely not going to be initiated before spring at this juncture. Hopes are high for an influx of travelers by air coming as usual to see the magnificent polar bears and other Arctic wildlife roaming the Churchill Wildlife Management Area and in the bluffs of Cape Merry. Their presence will give hope both financially and spiritually to Churchillians trying to withstand the isolation and strife the disaster to the rail – line has caused since last May.
Stay posted to our site for all the normal exciting news from polar bear season as well as updates on how townsfolk are dealing with no train service. Should be an exciting season with lots of news from Churchill!
A “flock” of polar bears move towards a bowhead whale stranded on the coast of Wrangell Island. A Gruzdev photo.
When a bowhead whale beaches on a remote stretch of Wrangell Island the news spreads quickly. How it spreads is a mystery since polar bears were the recipients of the good fortune, not humans. According to nature reserve rangers on the island over 230 polar bears “flocked” to the scene of the stranding for a protein-packed meal.
At first glance travelers on a passing a Finnish cruise ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, thought the bear congregation was a flock of sheep though they soon realized the Arctic is not Ireland so the white furry creatures had to be opportunistic polar bears. Males, females and even mothers with cubs ventured to the kill and got a piece of the whale pie.
Polar bears descend on a whale kill on Wrangell Island. A Gruzdev photo.
The cruise ship group had just made a layover and explored Wrangell, an island infamous for the last habitat of the extinct woolly mammoth.
Wrangell Island nature reserve staff have conveyed the details on the unique bear gathering to an international scientific group that monitors Alaska’s and Chukotka’s polar bear populations.
Wrangell Island lies in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea.
Polar bears gather around a whale carcass on the coast of the Wrangell Island shore. A Gruzdev photo.
A polar bear at the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve. Wrangell Island Nature Reserve photo.
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!
Even though the train was inactive this summer the wildlife and sights in Churchill were out of sight..well not really, they were very much in sight…but you know what I mean. These summer round – up photos are a summary of what Churchill summer is all about… iconic landmarks with incredible natural beauty. Sometimes we take this environment for granted though it never fails to expose more treaures every season. Can’t wait for this polar bear season to give us more wondrous sights and stories!
Beluga in the Churchill River with sun streaks through the clear water. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.
Ice floes on the coast in Churchill. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Miss Piggy with a sky full of northern lights. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Sunset over the Precambrian shield. Alex De Vries- Magnifico photo.
Inukshuk in Churchill at sunset. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.
Beluga in the clear Churchill River. Alex De Vries – Mgnifico photo.
