Kelsey Boulevard in Churchill. Katie DeMeulles photo.
A spring snowstorm cancelled flights into Churchill today and that coupled with suspended train service due to a recent grain train derailment has isolated Churchill. For many up north, that’s the way they like it. Birding season is here though it will have to wait a bit. Natural Habitat’s first Arctic summer trip is only a month away….crazy Canadian weather!
Churchill is warming up these days and soon the Arctic summer will be in full regalia. It is such a hopeful and vibrant time in the north as living things emerge from the bitter cold and snow cocoon. Sure, there will be days where the fierce north winds return with a vengeance of icy cold on its’ heals…but soon the summer will give all the locals the much needed peace of walking outside without ten pounds of extra coverings.
Here are some summer pics to get everyone in the spirit of the Arctic summer. Although it’s short, the days are cherished and deeply appreciated by Churchillians and travelers alike.
Beluga whale on the surface. Steve Selden photo.
Swans on a thermakarst in the Churchill Wildlife Management area. Ed Bouvier photo.
Trolling for beluga whales in the Churchill River.
Hudsonian godwit near the Churchill shore. Rhonda Reid photo.
Ed Bouvier photo.
Wild flowers and precambrian shield. Steve Selden photo.
Here’s an amazing live look at Churchill, Manitoba from the lens of the rotating webcam mounted above the town. Spectacular views of the Churchill River, town center and the Hudson Bay give a year -round view of the frontier sub-arctic town.
https://explore.org/live-cams/player/wild-beluga-whale-cam
With beluga whale season rapidly approaching, take a look at this cool video posted a year ago. A comprehensive look at what one can do out on the Churchill River and Hudson Bay. Not quite 50,000 whales come to the Churchill estuary but there are still plenty to go around in this little known wildlife experience.
The Hudson Bay is packed solid with thick ice and seems to be supporting a healthy seal-feeding season for polar bears. Extreme cold and stormy weather has been pervasive throughout the region this year and should lead to a extended hunting season for bears on the ice surface. Here is the link of the most recent Hudson Bay ice chart from Environment Canada Ice Survey.
Ice accumulating on the Hudson Bay. Karen Walker photo.
Polynas up in the Hudson Straits harbor herds of beluga whales waiting for ice to break up and allow for their spring migration. These open water leads are formed either by warmer currents upwelling from below and keeping an area adjacent to the sea ice unfrozen or from currents and wind conditions that move through the region. They are vital to the survival of narwhals and beluga whales that do not migrate south in the winter.
Beluga whale on the surface. Steve Selden photo.
When the belugas arrive in early summer, almost 2,500 animals will inhabit the coastal waters near Churchill including all the rivers and inlets there. At high tide, the Churchill River becomes a calving estuary stretching nearly eight kilometers up river. These relatively warm waters will make for a calm calving process and infancy. When newborn, calves are a darker almost slate gray. This color, opposing the milky white of the adult stage, is thought to be a subtle camouflage trait for the darker water they inhabit. As they grow and become whiter, the color is camouflage as well when living up north amongst the sea ice of near color. Since adults are more alert and more adept at detecting and eluding predators. Young grey -colored whales enjoy the guardianship and protection of their mothers…swimming tightly in their slipstream.
In summer Churchill has many treasures. Guide Sandra Elvin speaks to a group. Steve Selden photo.
The summer in Churchill is a daily reveal of mystery and treasure hidden in the willows and wildflowers of the tundra and the pre- cambrian rolling boulders of the coastal barrier. Each foray into the wild can produce anything the imagination can bring to mind. A beluga whale carcass nestled in the sea grass out at Halfway Point, a polar bear wandering through the boreal forest looking for some eggs from nesting birds, or even a black wolf lumbering in and out of boggy areas near the town weir out along Goose Creek road. As the summer moves forward, polar bears can be spotted along the coast as they arrive from the ice floes in the bay. Each day, each season produces something new and unexpected. Nothing compares to Churchill in the summer….the pace slows down and time seems to come to a standstill. Of course if you like the chance seeing 40 or more polar bears in a day fall might be the time to visit as well. Natural Habitat Adventures has a wide variety of trips that fit into your travel plans.
