The final Natural Habitat Summer group of the year started off with some nice weather for getting in the cold water of the Churchill River. A few in the group donned neoprene dry -suits, booties and gloves and snorkeled with beluga whales. This is an unforgettable experience ….more due to the frigid water in the low40 degree temp range than whale encounters. Whales become curious and swim below snorkelers at times though often keeping a safe distance. Still, being in the water so close to these amazing beings can ma one forget about the cold pretty quickly.
Young ducklings with mom in the local ponds. Photo Rhonda Reid
Later, as the group traveled around Churchill, various bird-life revealed itself all around town. Eider ducks and their young floated above beluga whales just offshore behind the town complex. Whimbrels, Hudsonian godwits and assorted ducks were flocking up for the long trip north and some geese are already in the air having been cleared by air traffic control for the migration. Cape Merry provided a Parcs Canada interpretive talk with Duane overlooking the river and Hudson Bay. No better spot to feel the vastness of the Arctic than the cape.
Lesser Yellowlegs near the Churchill shore. Rhonda Reid photo.
With a full day behind, some went for a walk around the loop of the flats next to the river and some went birding at the ponds just before the grainery and had some fantastic sightings.. Red-necked phalaropes were the biggest hit for the birders as they spotted adults and juveniles. Ruddy turnstones, lesser yellowlegs, lesser scaups, some with up to 10 two or three- day old young , American widgeon with two-week old young, Arctic terns with young just ready to fledge, a herring gull encouraging its’ three chicks to fly, a Wilson’s warbler, an adult pair of Bonaparte gulls, a semi-palmated sandpiper, a least sandpiper, and a green-winged teal with ducklings. Many of these birds were life species for almost everyone there. An incredible extravaganza of birds all in roughly an hour.
Lesser yellowlegs. Rhonda Reid photo.
Near the end of the trip the travelers experienced a polar bear extravaganza. Eskimo point provided a raw sighting of a polar bear just out of the bay while the group trolled the water in zodiacs in search of beluga whales. Nice bonus. Another bear was seen on land as a vehicle was positioned just at the right angle to get a great look at a stunning animal. All were happy to get the looks usually reserved for bear season in November.
Polar Bear on Eskimo point. Rhonda Reid photo.
As the Summer comes to a reluctant close, the aurora shines bright in the night sky. Reports of brilliant lights have been coming in over the past couple of days. This time of year can rival deep Winter for the best times to view the Northern lights. Clear skies and few storms provide awesome nightly activity. Of course one needs to stay up a little later, around 11 pm or so, to get the best looks at the phenomena. It’s definitely worth the late night.
Polar bears appear quite often in the Summer months on the rocky point that juts out into the Hudson Bay just north of Fort prince of Wales. Eskimo Point is a rocky outcropping that used to be under water hundreds of years ago though now has risen out of the sea thanks to that ever continuous process of isostatic rebound.
Polar bear on the rocks, Churchill,MB.
With regularity bears have been spotted both inland and along the rocky outcroppings on Eskimo Point. Although a bonus for travelers seeking to get a look at the king of the Arctic, conservation officers need to keep on their toes for the sake of the town’s safety. Summer, in my opinion is a more dangerous time with respect to polar bear encounters than actual “bear season” in October and November. For many reasons bears are more dangerous in Summer…the main one being the element of surprise. Summer is a time when people tend to let their guard down. Many visitors to Churchill have been conditioned to believe that the Fall is the only time polar bears are in the area…not true. As ice melts, bears come on land. With temperature escalation decreasing time polar bears are able to hunt seals on ice, they tend to head for the next most bountiful habitat….Churchill. Not many visitors expect to come upon a polar bear while birding or observing wildflowers. It’s these distractions that can cause one to be at risk. (more…)
This Summer season has provided amazing looks at wildflowers, birds and thousands of beluga whales cruising the Hudson bay and Churchill river. Of course the focus is on these beautiful, majestic mammals and the environment of the Arctic. The calming feeling one gets from being out on the water with the whales is everlasting in the soul. Life becomes fluid and this feeling transcends the woes one has in everyday life. The Arctic life cycle is unlike any other.
Polar bear heading to land from sea ice. Photo Rhonda Reid.
Polar bears in Summer in Churchill can be hit or miss…..this year they have been quite the hit indeed. In all the years I have guided trips in Summer here I remember most the ones where polar bears have been more prevalent. When you don’t have expectations the most unexpected tends to happen. Most of the time you could be within a hundred yards of a bear in Summer and never even know it. Other times you arrive just at the right moment when a sow and cub happened to be crossing a remote road outside of town. Or, on a long hike through tundra, shotgun in hand…a bear appears from the fog. Those moments..however hair -raising they are brand incredible memories into one’s soul. Any bear encounter in the world creates the same feeling.
Polar bear on the rocks last week in Churchill. Photo Rhonda Reid.
When a Summer is brimming with bears the thrills are just around the next rock-outcropping. Bears leave the deteriorating ice flows generally up north and gradually make their way along the coast to Churchill by Fall. Churchill serves as the staging area for bears to once again head onto the floes in late November. Ice forms first around Churchill due to the geography of the land jutting out somewhat into the Hudson Bay and the confluence of many freshwater rivers, including the Churchill, in the Southwestern corner of the bay. This freshwater freezes at a faster rate then saltwater in the bay so the platform starts to form against the land here. Bears gather along the coast and test the ice as it solidifies. The cycle repeats year after year.
For various reasons bears appear in larger numbers randomly. This Summer, bears have been all over the land and water which some proponents of global warming point out as a red flag. Ice melting earlier sends bears to the land. However, it’s also linked to the freeze-up date in November. If the ice is very late forming then an early melt is more dire. Most recent years have averaged out to be consistently the same number of ice days for bears out hunting seals on the ice Historically however, bears have seen their hunting grounds confined to a shorter time-frame over the last century. The time in the historical perspective is miniscule but the evidence of our ozone layer being damaged is there so we must be critical of the conditions. Take a look at the current ice formation in the Hudson Bay.
Polar bear just out of the water on the rocks in Churchill,M. Photo Rhonda Reid.
The bears are in Churchill this Summer and that surely bodes well for an early Fall season of good bear numbers…again, “good” is a relative term here. With travelers attracted by the prospect of seeing bears in the Summer in Churchill, they will hopefully be educated to the adverse affects of greenhouse gasses being emitted into our atmosphere. With that information, people might return home and make better decisions in how they live and pollute. Turning negative circumstances into positive reactions.
“We just arrived in Churchill today and from shore saw a beluga festival out near the edge of the bay along with Herring and Bonaparte gulls flying overhead indicating a feeding frenzy!” reported Sue Zajac this past week with her first Natural Habitat Arctic Summer group. Up North for another season of ever surprising wildlife encounters, Sue finds a way to uncover all the natural wonders this unique region has to offer. Assisted by local resident/guide Rhonda Reid, the pair have been scouring the tundra and Arctic waters to insure travelers leave no “Tern unstoned”…uh..rather “stone unturned. The former would not be good…those poor little guys have to fly a long way to get their capelin.
In the ponds adjacent to the grain silos the group viewed two -week old herring gull hatchlings nesting on a rock protected by surrounding water, as well as another pair of fledglings nearby. Lesser yellow legs and a female lesser scaup with seven chicks, short-billed dowitcher, red-necked phalarope and attacking Arctic terns suggesting a nest. A molting male greater scaup rounded out the birding extravaganza. The weather was windy and warm with a hint of rain. A background of grain dust filled the air as grain cars were unloaded to fill the towering elevators guarding the Churchill river. No grain container ships in port or on the horizon yet though a small barge left port, escorted by a tugboat. All eyes will be on the grain port this August through November to see how the lack of a grain commission affects the supply and demand of this inland seaport.
As Summer in the north progresses, wildflowers come and go like the tide. Fireweed, an everlasting sentinel, lines secluded dirt roads all throughout Churchill, Arctic avens, the initial sign of Spring have now mostly gone to seed as have many of the willows, hedysarum or Mackenzi sweet vetch, and purple Indian paintbrush color the tundra with shades of purple and red.
Hedysarum or Mackenzi sweet vetch…one of Churchill’s prize wildflowers.
Arrival in Churchill began with a visit down to the shore of the Hudson Bay near the inukshuk behind the town complex. After a long train excursion from Winnipeg, the travelers were content with settling into the northern pace and feeling the ground. The serenity of the Hudson Bay does this better than any other place.
Guide Sue and travelers walked the beach on the Hudson Bay.Photo Rhonda Reid
Day one in Churchill was an adventure out on the water aboard the Sea North 2, a 30 passenger viewing craft made to go around ice flows. The sea north gives people a view above the water and has a front and rear deck for photography. Although one cannot getas close to the beluga’s as you would aboard the zodiacs, this is made for getting clear more interesting photos. The boat is also used to transport the groups across river to fort Prince of Wales. The group made the trip and luckily was prepared with bug nets as the mosquitos were out in full force. when you experience a remote environment you have to take the good with the bad. This is not a zoo where the climate can be made to order. A taste of the real thing , even when annoying, can make the experience everlasting.
Sea North 2 on the Churchill River looking for belugas. Photo Rhonda Reid.
The next day the wind forced zodiacs to stay at the dock so the morning was spent out near goose Creek with Bill Calnan birding and story telling. Always different and interesting. After a visit to the iconic Eskimo museum the group just went with the flow out on the land exploring along the coast near Miss Piggy (an old plane wreck on the rocks above the coastal road) and the fossil beach below it at low tide. These spontaneous days in Churchill always seem to lead into something eventful. Serendipitous to say the least. Back on the outside of town, Conservation officers were dealing with a bear that had just come out of the water and was unwilling to be persuaded back in and along the coast. They chased the sub-adult male along the rocks all the way from the complex to Cape Merry …with cracker shells as a motivational tool. Meanwhile the group followed at a safe distance watching every move…amazing luck with the timing!
Here are some more shots from the amazing Summer adventures in Churchill. Reflecting back on some fantastic memories caught in these photo’s brings expectations for this season. Every Summer in the North is different. Weather can change instantaneously and create unique situations on the land and water. The beluga’s are omnipresent and display incredible various behavior on any different day. The only times I have seen a scarcity of whales is when the Inuit hunters appear for a few days a couple of times each season. By treaty law they are able to cull a minimal number of whales. When they are in the area and when they have made a kill, all the whales in the river stay submerged as much as possible. They communicate the danger and fear through their echolocation senses. Otherwise the abundance is incredible and as I stated, the interactions are quite different each time on the water. Consider making the trip to Churchill soon….it’s an amazing experience in nature!
Calm afternoon on the Churchill River. Photo Steve Selden.
Curious male beluga near zodiac. Photo Steve Selden.
These beautiful submersion bubbles are formed when the whale dives beneath the surface. Photo Steve Selden
An encore of my favorite shot from Summer. Rare capture of male beluga out of the water. Photo Steve Selden
Beluga sows shelter calves in their slipstream. Darker calf stays close until later Summer. photo Steve Selden
This new campaign by Greenpeace just in time for the olympics this month in London will raise a few eyebrows. I think it’s ingenious and a perfect time to redouble efforts in the arduous fight against Arctic oil exploration. The industry will never stop trying to extract oil from the precious pristine landscape of the Arctic. The fight to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lasted years and still is under pressure with heavy dependence on political incumbency. Now other areas are targeted and oil groups are depending on resistance being lowered in these bleak economic times. With gas prices escalated and heightened conflict in the mid-East, people are more apt to give in to pressure to explore new fuel sources…especially in North America. This is time for all responsible individuals to step back from personal economic distress and fight for future generations….preserving the frontier of the North.
Oil lobbyists are banking on persistence. In our information – overloaded world, the tendency to be overwhelmed with “causes” can lead to complacency. As humans, we tend to engage a cause the first time with incredible effort and then less and less in subsequent campaigns. A perfect example of this is the harp seal campaign. In the 80’s the tenacious resistance to the practice of seal-clubbing was so intensely fought that the market dried up. Later on the passion to fight waned and activists moved on to another cause. It’s hard to focus on one campaign these days as we are more aware of numerous hardships in the world.
Polar bear on polar rover Photo Steve Selden
Granted, the oil issue is infinitely broader in scope. though we need to take that stance in order to preserve the planet. We have made incredible strides in alternative energy in the just the past two decades..we need to keep going in that direction and not fall back into the old familiar trap of oil…a limited resource. Will we keep using oil until the resource is exhausted or save a supply for emergency situations or future generations? We also do not know the planetary implications of taking all of this resource out of the Earth. I’m all for exploring less planet-exhausting resources! You?
