by Steve Selden | Dec 24, 2014 | Churchill News
In Churchill, Manitoba fall is polar bear season and winter is aurora season. The rest of the year provides overlapping sights and wildlife encounters but those two seasons are pretty exclusive for those attractions. You can see northern lights in Churchill just about year-round though the most reliable time is the heart of winter. The Hudson Bay is frozen and therefore the moisture level in the air is low influencing cloud cover. Natural Habitat Adventures is gearing up for the aurora season that begins on January 31. This year promises to be the most amazing year so far with a record number of people taking the train or flying to Churchill for a glimpse of the magical lights.
FACT: There needs to be solar flares on the sun or solar wind for the aurora borealis to happen. When particles from the sun enter Earth’s atmosphere and collide violently with gas atoms various colors of “northern lights” appear.
Check out this link for aurora forecasts in the north:
https://gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast
Aurora in the northern Churchill sky.
Aurora borealis in Churchill. Colby Brokvist photo.
Aurora in the boreal forest. Brad Josephs photo.
Incredible shot of musher hut with aurora above. Brad Joseph photo.
by Steve Selden | Dec 18, 2014 | Churchill News
Fort Prince of Wales on the West side of the Churchill River.
If you venture to Churchill in the summertime with Natural Habitat Adventures there’s a good chance you’ll travel cross-river and tour Fort Prince of Wales with a guided interpretation from a Parcs Canada ranger. An intriguing and somewhat comical history endures.
In 1717, just a few years after the Treaty of Utrecht returned all Hudson Bay posts to England, James Knight from the Hudson Bay Company built the ” Churchill River Post” and it was renamed “Prince of Wales” two years later. The initial trading post/fort was constructed to pretty much take advantage geographically of the more northern location and general accessibility to multiple regional fur traders and native trappers.
Ammunition cache at Cape Merry for cannon protection of Fort prince of Wales. Karen Walker photo.
With the ongoing feud and battle to control the fur industry between the french and English, the need for a stronghold of greater security seemed like a good idea.
In 1731 construction of the current day Fort Prince of Wales began out on Eskimo Point at the mouth of the Churchill River. A mere 40 years later the four-meter-thick stone walls were completed and the 40 cannon mounts were in place. Nearly unbearable winter living conditions made the construction process less than expeditious. With the sparseness of trees in the area, gathering firewood for heat also was a laborious task. If we could hear the stories from those days.
A view across the Cape Merry barrens past the battery and to Fort prince of Wales.
The star fort design, originally conceptualized in the mid-15th century in Italy worked quite well in covering all angles of attack with cannons. Walls were constructed low and thick to withstand cannon fire. A deep ditch surrounding the fort was to compensate for the lower walls.
The grand irony of the entire project culminated in 1782 when three French warships commanded by general La Perouse captured the fort without a single shot being fired. During the whole construction process, the minor details of training the stationed men how to fire a cannon seemed to slip through the cracks. Again, with the severe weather conditions, one can only imagine how basic survival during construction trumped all other endeavors.
In 1934 the process of reconstructing the partially demolished and downtrodden fort began. That process has restored the fort to a most presentable condition. In recent years, an intense archeological effort has produced incredible artifacts used to paint a more vivid picture of life in the 18th century.
by Steve Selden | Dec 14, 2014 | Churchill News
Churchill, Manitoba is the place to see polar bears. In the beautiful, temperate months of October and November the town welcomes a few thousand travelers from Natural Habitat Adventures and other wildlife tour companies on a mission to see polar bears. Almost all leave with amazing memories of the king of the Arctic…the polar bear!
Sparring bears in the CWMA. Melissa Scott photo.
However, Churchill can be deceptively inviting and even dangerous at times for those taking unnecessary risks. No, I’m not talking about the Canadian Legion on a Saturday night…although I have personally experienced that northern “wildlife”. I am talking about polar bears…hungry polar bears at that. So, if you come to Churchill to see the Arctic king, the great white bear, stay alert, be cautious and don’t wander out of town without protection.
1.– Don’t go for an early morning hike to Cape Merry or some other place outside town limits. You probably wouldn’t play Russian roulette at home….so why would you take similar risks far away in a place you don’t know so well? Chances are you could walk the few kilometers there and back without getting mauled or slain by a polar bear but then again it only takes one bear.
Polar bears on Eskimo Point. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
2.– When you leave your house or residence in the dark, look both ways. Also, try to park the driver side door facing your house door for easy access Polar bears are notorious for sneaking into the town in the wee hours of the morning when most people are sleeping and Manitoba Conservation officers are sleeping as well. Most people in Churchill leave their doors unlocked for anyone facing a surprise polar bear encounter. It’s Kind of a custom in Churchill.
A polar bear trap being removed with cargo from Churchill.
3.– No strolling along the precambrian shield on the coast of the magnificent Hudson Bay. The rolling, polished granitoid rocky coastline can provide really nice sleeping or resting spots for bears. And they really don’t take kindly to surprise wake up calls. The surprise will quickly be yours.
4.– Don’t drive a ATV along the coast road…in a thick fog. Been there, done that on the way to the annual old laboratory party out by the airport hosted by infamous researcher and professor Paul Watts. Couldn’t see three feet in front of the vehicle the whole way out along the coastal road. One of the scariest yet thrilling things I’ve done with my fleece on. Oh yeah…party was rocking too. The ATV came back in the back of a pick up truck.
Polar bear attempting to maul me in a vehicle. Steve Selden photo.
5.– If you want to be a wildlife photographer for long, keep the windows rolled up when shooting polar bears from a vehicle other than when a polar rover. In the old days in Churchill many photographers would get their money shots out at mile 5 or Brian Ladoon’s dog- yard. Myself and Brendan O’Neill, working logistics for the polar bear season many years ago, got a terrifying thrill one day when a polar bear approached our unnamed photographers van and tried to crawl through the window. One of my first bear experiences in Churchill….two underwear day!
Natural Habitat travelers beluga watching in the Churchill River.
6.– Bonus.. Stay away from swimming polar bears in the summer when you have a group of travelers in a rubber zodiac looking for beluga whales. Polar bears submerge for what seems like an eternity. They can hold their breath for up to two minutes. If you get close enough the bear could surface anywhere within 20 feet or so….not fun. It’s a similar feeling to the old video Asteroids game when you hit hyperspace and hope you don’t reappear next to a huge asteroid ready to blow up your ship.
There are many more places than these that you don’t want to encounter a polar bear. However, if you use common sense and respect their territory, all should go well and your memories will all be good.
See polar bears in the wilds of Churchill, Manitoba…go to nathab.com.
by Steve Selden | Nov 8, 2014 | Churchill News
“What a trip! The action just kept coming and we seemed to always be in the right place at the right time”, reported Natural Habitat guide Colby Brokvist. Highlights included many cub sightings, including one curious guy right up on our rover. We had sparring males so close that some of the guests on the deck of the rover were hit with snow as the bears tussled!
Polar bears in sparring mode. Colby Brokvist photo.
Other highlights included Manitoba Conservation chasing a large male polar bear out of town, and numerous fox sightings. Topping it off, the aurora borealis came out on Halloween night and the group of travelers and Colby journeyed down to the inukshuk behind the town complex to observe the amazing display around 1 am in the morning.
Aurora shining in the Arctic sky above the boreal forest. Brad Josephs photo.
Shipping News: The last grain ship is out of port and the tug boat brought in the channel buoys this past week.
Manitoba Conservation Blotter: There are currently 13 polar bears in the polar bear compound as of yesterday, including a sow with a cub caught in a bear trap near the cemetery.
Polar bear print in the snow. Karen Walker photo.
Guide
Karen Walker and group had a male polar bear come very near their polar rover, on the spit past the
lodge. The temperature was hovering around freezing, so the snow was soft and left a fantastic foot print for
photographs. “At one point we had a very close bear on the right side of our rover and sparring to the left side of the rover,” added Karen.
A fox den on Christmas Lake esker in Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Karen Walker photo.
Out along
Christmas Lake esker, the group discovered the entrance of a fox den. “We never saw the fox, but we saw lots of tracks,” stated Karen. That evening the wind really picked up and it has become quite evident that winter has set in. Over the last few days, two blizzard-like storms have descended on
Churchill.
by Steve Selden | Oct 14, 2014 | Churchill News
As most of us slowly ease into the fall season and notice the changing colors on the deciduous trees in North America, Churchill,MB has already been greeted with a coating of early winter snow. Cool temperatures forecast for the next several days are a great start to the season and a harbinger of a long, cold winter on the shores of the Hudson Bay. Hopefully another long season for polar bears out on the Hudson Bay ice pack for ample seal hunting.
First snowy night in Churchill,MB. Katie DeMeulles photo.
As the current polar bear season gets into gear, with the first Natural Habitat group out on the tundra lodge, many more eager travelers await their upcoming charter flight from Winnipeg to Churchill and a chance to see what we feel is the worlds most majestic and intriguing animal on the planet…the mighty polar bear.
Here are some past polar bear photo’s to get you all excited about new images and video coming in the next month and a half of exciting trips to the Churchill Wildlife Management Area and the surrounding region of Churchill,MB. Enjoy and keep tuned in to churchillpolarbears.org to get updates on all the news from the north.
Polar bear sow and cub on the precambrian shield.
Up close and personal with a polar bear.
Sparring polar bears in the CWMA. Rick Pepin photo.
A polar bear relaxes and cools in the snow. Colby Brokvist photo.
