by Steve Selden | Nov 10, 2011 | Tour News
Although the wildlife sightings, including good numbers of healthy looking polar bears, continue to impress travelers to Churchill, the weather has been less than Arctic -like for this time of year. Until recently that is. Suddenly that old familiar chilly wind from the North is blowing off the Hudson Bay, up the beach and right through Churchill. The open tundra in the CWMA also is feeling the cold as the thermakarsts are freezing up and a little bit of snow covers the land. Polar bears are starting to become more active as well with sparring males all around. This feels more like Churchill in November.
Paul Brown photo.
One of those polar bears was on his way out of the area in a net just two days ago. Six or more groups of travelers..some arriving in Churchill, some leaving…were fortunate to witness a bear -lift from the compound just adjacent to the airport. The big male was moved, in a tranquilized state, out on a cart from the compound to the loading area where Manitoba Conservation workers placed the cargo net around him. then Hudson Bay helicopters whisked the 600 pound animal away to the North shore for relocation. Camera shutters reluctantly clicked away in the wind -chilled air as the rotor blades kicked up a little snow dust from the ground. In the distance the line holding the net dangling from the helicopter blurs into some strange looking bird morphing into a black dot on the horizon. Imax cameras were on scene to film with two different angles set up…look for it in some future feature near you.
Other tell -tale signs of Winter rapidly approaching are revealing themselves in Churchill. Churchill River ice is starting to pile up on the banks and soon will be slowly choking off the rapid flow of water in and out of the tributary. With such a strong current upon tidal change here, it will take some severe cold to finish the job of freezing the near mile of water clear to the far side.
Paul Brown photo.
A couple of bears have also been in town the last day or so with Conservation officers from the polar bear alert program giving chase through the streets. A rumor that some sled dogs outside of town have been killed by bears still has not been confirmed. The overall feel of frozen tundra prevails with heavy waves crashing on the beach close to the stone inukshuk behind the town complex. A sow with her cubs was spotted out by the airport by guides Justin and Sue’s groups just as the burnt orange sunset melted away behind the West bank of the Churchill River.
Guide Paul brown and group headed out to the CWMA on their first night in town and were lucky to spot a white morph gyrfalcon just off the trail on the way out to the lodge area. After a relaxing night on the tundra amid sleeping bears, the group returned the next morning to the same area and encountered most likely some of those same bears in sparring mode just near the lodge. The play fighting continued through the morning and the rover finally pulled out of the action -packed area heading toward halfway Point where a seal was basking on the rocks overlooking the bay. Some big male bears were seen in the willows near the point. On the coastal road heading to the East a “beautiful big scarred” male bear was sighted traveling over the snow -dusted land crossing over some frozen tundra ponds or thermakarsts as they are known in the North. Another gyrfalcon or perhaps the same one seen the prior evening floated on the cool wind crossing the landscape.A guest had dropped his hat on the way out to the tundra that morning and on the return trip he found it on the trail albeit torn to shreds by an angry bear..hopefully it was a NY cap. Grrrrrr!
Guide Brent Houston brought his World Wildlife Fund group to the lodge area with an idea to just stay for a short time on Wednesday. However, with incredible action around the area, the group spent a good part of the day there while bears roamed near and far. A huge male bear paced quite close to the machine while a couple of younger “bucks” came in from the willows behind the lodge. A female kept watch in the distance but kept away from the boys. Throughout the day the group saw eight or nine bears in close proximity with another five or so in the periphery. Many of the bears were tagged observed Brent.
The bird life seems to be reduced to a few raptors towards the coast. A gyrfalcon early in the day along the trail and a snowy owl perched on top of a small spruce in the soft low light were nice sightings though the songbirds and even ravens seem to have exited the region. Winter truly seems to be creeping in to the area.
by Steve Selden | Nov 6, 2011 | Tour News
These past few days have been stellar out on the tundra of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA). Although the snow has not arrived yet, the wildlife sightings have been magnificent. Some of the sightings have actually been aided by the lack of snow…exposing the whiteness of the camouflage fitted for Winter. While this coming week may finally bring the inevitable storms from the North, travelers are quite happy with what they have been seeing.
Brad Josephs photo
Natural Habitat guide Brad Josephs, who also guides brown bear trips in Alaska, had “the best day of the year” just two days ago. On their initial night in Churchill, the group headed out to the CWMA and were greeted almost immediately by a incredibly curious red fox. They received the same greeting from an Arctic fox the next morning as they ventured out for a full day on the tundra. Arriving at the tundra lodge that morning, the driver situated the rover in the front of the lodge. Soon the action began….two sets of sparring polar bears on either side of the vehicle battled through a heavy snow-shower into subsequent sunlight. Both conditions provided excellent atmosphere to capture the drama on film. Slaps and growls ignited in the chilly Arctic air as the mock fighting became intense and sustained throughout the morning. Brad commented that the sparring was “intense as I’ve ever seen.” And Brad has seen plenty throughout the years around bears.
Brad Josephs photo.
Birders in the group were quite pleased with sightings of both willow and rock ptarmigan, surf scoters and rare harlequin sightings. A dark -phase gyrfalcon also mesmerized the guests out on and above the stark landscape.
An estimated count of about 28 bears were spotted for the day including a nice surprise on the way back to launch when most travelers aboard the rover thought the day was complete. A sow with a two-year old cub seemed posed next to the trail as the rover rumbled home. A super send-off for the excited guests.
Guide Sandra Elvin also was enjoying exposing her group to the escalating bear numbers the past few days. on their night-rover trip the group had eight polar bears up close and personal around their machine. When just getting out to the magnificent tundra to enjoy the landscape is usually the main attraction, these bears surely made for an even more fulfilling journey.
The next morning also brought amazing encounters. An Arctic fox greeted the group in the pre -dawn glow just as moved away from the launch. Two sets of bears sparring out near the lodge kept them around there for a good part of the morning. This was definitely the highlight of about 21 polar bear sightings this incredible day. Though just like Brad’s group’s surprise, Sandra and guests spotted a sow and cub on the way back into town from their shuttle bus. Between the airport and the “Town of Churchill” sign, the two animals wandered methodically in the town’s direction…hopefully knowing enough to stay on the outskirts and not end up in the compound that evening. Of course if they have friends up North, it’s an easy way to go visit.
Colby Brokvist photo.
Their next excursion out to the tundra the following day brought 25 bear encounters or sightings. Nine of those polar bears were at the lodge displaying various modes of behavior. Two of those spent time sleeping on top of each other before rising up and sparring together for some time. Two gyrfalcons were also in the area….one between Gordon Point and the lodge flying in the up-drafts and another landing on the rocky shoreline of the spit extending north from the lodge. A few of the bears had quite notable behavioral characteristics. One was very skiddish and reluctant to approach any of the rovers. Another was quite big though quite skinny as well. We have been seeing a few bears of this nature this season..most likely linked to the shorter ice season. And finally a bear nicknamed “Muddy Butt” by the group, as his paws and rear were unusually covered.
Guide Colby Brokvist and group experienced an “awesome” day Friday on the land. At one point there were 3 pairs of sparring bears going at it simultaneously. The final one began with a bear lying just off the rover’s front nose. As another bear came out of the willows and roused him, they then both walked to the side of the machine- about 50 feet from us- and began sparring intensely. About 15 minutes of this brought heightened excitement amongst the travelers as they reeled off photo’s from digital cameras. The following day an arctic hare at bird cove nestled in the rocks as the group was still just adjusting to the morning light. Later a white gyrfalcon flew right by the windows of the machine as the group pulled off along Christmas Lake esker. Almost immediately after spotting the white gyr, a large gray morph flew by, this time only inches from the windows of the machine. What a rush! The folks were excited and Colby could hardly contain himself. An incredible Arctic fly-by!
The notable change these past few days has been the fact that many bears were out moving good distances on the tundra. They were many in between the spits for the first time as well as bears moving between the coast and inland a bit. Not many polar bears have been spotted between the two lodges East a bit though farther East toward Cape Churchill, high numbers are being reported from helicopter charters. As you can see numbers in general are escalating and should continue as the season goes on.
by Steve Selden | Nov 3, 2011 | Tour News
As polar bear season moves into November, the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA) is still not so Arctic -like when it comes to snow cover. Wildlife viewing out on the land, however, has been very active as the animals wait for the cold and snow to inevitably arrive. Even with slightly warmer temperatures above freezing at times, polar bears have been displaying various active behavior styles. Snow is forecast most of next week with temperatures dipping into the -15C range. Bears should be on the move.
Paul Brown photo.
Natural Habitat guide Lynette and band of travelers started out their day this past week at Bird Cove but found it pretty inactive. The views across the cove back towards Churchill in the distance were beautiful and coastal precambrian shield rocks inspired all before the rover moved along the coast to Halfway Point. A resident gyrfalcon guided the machine along the trail dipping in and out of the updrafts gusting in from the Hudson Bay. While enjoying morning coffee and snacks the group spent almost two hours at Halfway Point watching a juvenile snowy owl through a spotting scope. Oh..and yes there were some polar bears. A younger male came from a good distance inland as guests watched intently with binoculars. At about the same time, another bear was spotted off the coast a bit swimming in the bay…just bobbing and playing. Constantly turning in the icy water as if trying to stay warm, he would periodically dive under and come up. At one point what appeared to be a floating log was discovered and he continued to play with the object for quite awhile. A pretty amazing site!
The “water” bear finally emerged from the bay and headed towards the rover and began investigating the look and smells of the vehicle. At times, while the group was enjoying hot soup and sandwiches for lunch, the big male bruin perched its’ paws almost on the top rail of the deck. Lynette’s travelers seemed quite content to spend most of the afternoon observing the bear up close. He took breaks to sit in the willows nearby and roll and roll about in the brush and slight snow cover built up along the fringe of the vegetation. As the group moved about the area toward the end of the day they counted eight or so polar bears within view ..all of them being fairly inactive. For some reason this bear was intrigued by their presence and gave them memories for a lifetime. The others were conserving energy in the relatively warm of the day.
Guide Karen Walker and her Natural Habitat group arrived in town from the airport, had a deli lunch at Gypsy’s and then followed a tip from their shuttle driver about a polar bear just outside of town by the old plane wreck dubbed “miss piggy”. As they followed the coastal road out of the back end of town, they came upon, not a single bear,but a mother and cub just 200 yards West of the plane. Quite a nice welcome to the high North country. I, personally, have always felt more in tune with the region when coming upon polar bears unexpectedly. This was surely a surprise to many of these first timers to Churchill. Another bear was spotted walking North just on the other side of the gravel pit between the road and the Hudson Bay.
The groups’ luck continued the following day as they were just 10 minutes from launch when a bear in the distance at about 100 yards caught their attention. Not even ten minutes from then, a group of ptarmigan swaggered along the trail into and out of willows as the rover moved past. Good start to this day as well.
Karen and her driver conferred and decided to head straight out to the lodge in hopes of being the first rover to arrive on the site. They were indeed and found a couple of young sub-adults underneath the North end of the structure. They soon walked over and were up on the rover peering inside while sniffing the air. All were awed by the encounter. The two then settled down just about 15 feet off the back observation deck. Another bear emerged from the willows and began wrestling with one of the sub-adults just off the back of the rover. the pair moved all the around the area and both the guests on the rover and the tundra lodge were thrilled with the show.
Paul Brown photo.
A short time later, Karen and group moved out a little toward Halfway Point when another polar bear walked out of the willows. The two bears continued sparring and this new bear would interact and wrestle with the two from time to time. As the action simmered down and the group sipped on coffee, the clock showed it was only 11 Am. Quite an amazing morning on the land. The action continued however as two more bears traveled in from the rocky spit that juts into the bay Northward. Another came out of the willows between the lodge and the bay. All in all, in a panoramic setting, there were seven polar bears in view at once. Some were sparring and wrestling throughout the late morning and early afternoon until things finally began to calm down around 2;00pm. About 15 sightings of bears on an amazing day. Another scene complimenting the afternoon was seeing fresh, clean bear paw prints on the ponds. Some of the tracks also had fox prints mixed in with them. The soft clear light made the prints stand out nicely from the glare of the ice.
by Steve Selden | Nov 1, 2011 | Tour News
As the heart of polar bear season in Churchill nears closer, the tundra is still surprising all who venture out every day. Although intense colder temperatures have not settled in as of yet, wildlife encounters are still impressing travelers exploring the tundra each day. The slightly warmer temperatures have not kept polar bears in the region inactive at all. Although some are content to lounge and sleep in the willows or rocks, many are up and about engaging in sparring bouts and investigating rovers….sniffing boots.. that sort of thing.
Colby Brokvist photo.
A good morning on tundra for Colby Brokvist and group gave way to warming temperatures in the afternoon with not too much happening in wildlife viewing. In the morning at Halfway Point things got started with a snowy owl chasing snow buntings along the rocky border between the tundra and the Hudson Bay. A juvenile snowy.. he perched near the rover and then twice flew directly at the vehicle with his yellow piercing stare. Lemmings in rocks below the rover scurried to take cover from an arctic fox running along the shore looking for some sustenance. Guests were exposed to great photo opportunities as three polar bears were in the area. A very old and skinny adult spotted at bird cove last week lounged near the rocks. Seemingly on the brink of death, his ribs, pelvis and shoulder bones were apparent through his white coat. Two other bears were walking and somewhat active. Easily the highlight of the morning was when one of the bruins decided to take a swim for almost half an hour just offshore in the calm bay… playing in the kelp, diving under the surface, emerging and rolling around on his back like a sea otter. Once ashore, he shook off the icy water before spending some time with Colby’s as well as a couple of other rovers nearby. Very “cool” experience…especially for the bear! The warmer afternoon was spent near the tundra lodge where three or so bears were lounging lazily around on the edge of the willows.
Guide Sandra Elvin’s group experienced a fantastic week highlighted by two separate bear lifts. The first involved scrambling on arrival day in Churchill and getting out of the airport just in time to see two bears removed from the compound, netted and evacuated to the North. Exciting start to the Northern experience. Then, on the group’s helicopter and museum-touring day, travelers were fortunate to view a sow and two cubs moved from the compound as well. Two of these in a trip is quite rare.
Paul Brown photo.
The group’s polar bear viewing out on the tundra was exciting also. On day one in the CWMA , a polar bear was observed up close while a few others were viewed crossing the landscape slowly at a distance. A few others asleep in the willows rounded out the afternoon. The second day started slowly in the morning though afternoon brought bears around the lodge challenging each other without full-on sparring. A group devoid of avid birders calmly observed a magnificent gyrfalcon soaring the wind currents above. An arctic fox near the rover launch and a red fox at Bird’s Cove filled out a palette of Arctic wildlife.
Helicopter journeys to a former bear denning area were hampered by fog. After the den visit, the group returned back to the base in town and re-booked flight time for the end of the trip. Flying over a controversial “sled-dog” compound East of town raised serious questions regarding the morality and legality of the site. Polar bears intermingle freely with chained dogs there and quite often share food left for the canines. Should wild animals be exposed to this setting? On the later rescheduled flight, the group flew directly to Cape Churchill and returned over the boreal forest. A large number of bears at the cape and scattered moose on the fringes of the forest were awesome sights.
The aurora borealis cooperated with Halloween by unveiling itself for the holiday..Guide Elise’s group as well as some others viewed the Arctic spectacle behind the town complex at the giant stone inukshuk guarding the Hudson Bay. One of “the best displays I’ve ever seen here”, is how Elise characterized the show….dancing, swirling lights of green…pulsing with faint glimpses of red. Maybe a slight tinge of orange in there as well. Happy Halloween to all!
Paul Brown photo.
Guide Rinnie reports “resident” bears around the lodge. There are constantly four to five males around ….including a couple of “big guys”. A single female and a mother with a coy visited the area much to the delight of travelers on board. A few “buddy” males sparring frequently very close to the lodge thrill the photographers as well as casual guests. Away from the lodge two adult golden eagles soared pass the rover while out along the coast road. Snowy owls have been seen almost daily as well as Arctic fox. On the last lodge trip, northern lights appeared twice on the darker tundra of the CWMA….an easier place to spot the phenomena for sure. Food being served by gourmet chefs at the lodge is fantastic while the group hopes for colder temperatures to arrive. Hopes for some more mothers with cubs to move in to the area are top of the wish list.
by Steve Selden | Oct 28, 2011 | Tour News
Temperatures are currently just below freezing in Churchill with snow in the forecast next week. winds from the North have been prevalent these past few days and the white stuff will soon be carried in on the gales soon. Meanwhile business as usual continues around Churchill with a good number of polar bears around in some unusual places. Various birds are still being observed as well…many still finding Churchill a hospitable place for this late in the Fall. Soon ,however, the season will turn Winteresque and another wave of the winged ones will head South.
Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bears have frequently been observed around the rocks out at Bird Cove and Halfway Point. It’s interesting how each year some unique characteristic emerges of the particular season’s bear population around Churchill. Bears on rocks have certainly been this season’s surprise. Many years we don’t see more than a handful of bears around Bird Cove, though this year it has been a hotspot.
Guide Colby Brokvist and his group viewed the bear on the pre-cambrian slab above out at Halfway point in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA). He ascended via rock ledges, but couldn’t figure out how to get down. This image is of him trying to figure out how descend the rock slab.”I see Yosemite black bears cruise this stuff regularly, but this guy couldn’t seem to find his balance.” stated an amused Brokvist. Finally, he made it down and found a nook in the rocks out of the wind to rest in.
Guide Paul Brown ‘s group has been enjoying the plethora of early-season polar bear encounters on the tundra in the CWMA. They also were very fortunate to see three gyrfalcons while out along the coast. One dark -phase possible juvenile at Halfway point and two white phase, one at Cape Merry and one also at Halfway Point.
Paul Brown photo.
Guide Sue Zajac noticed the polar bears she and her group were observing were “more active” than in the previous days. At the tundra lodge, bears were sparring out on the snow-dusted land, preparing for more serious encounters later out on the ice. After spending a good part of the afternoon in that area the rover headed back toward launch and came across a snowy owl near the trail. Earlier they spotted two golden eagles …most likely the pair that had been seen last week also. Mergansers were scuttling around in the last remaining water of the scattered thermakarsts and a glacuous gull patrolled the coastline riding the up drafts.
Paul Brown photo.
Guide Karen and her Ultimate Churchill group arrived at the airport in Churchill and headed directly to the polar bear holding facility to learn about the capturing process. Culvert bear traps on the grounds are an excellent teaching tool. The group’s trip came full circle on the last day. A Bear Lift of two siblings from the polar bear compound was an apt send off as the group then went right to the airport for the flight to Winnipeg. Three other Natural Habitat groups also enjoyed the bear lift. The guests loved the last day. Prior to the bear lift several guests toured the town complex, and met Boris who has lived in Churchill for 51 years. His picture is on the wall of the portrait gallery. He told a couple of stories of his close encounters with polar bears. Then, all went dog mushing with Kelly & Ernest, whom the guests enjoyed immensely. A well rounded trip to the far North!
Photo Paul Brown.
by Steve Selden | Oct 25, 2011 | Tour News
Hudson Bay Helicopters has been running charter tours for travelers in Churchill for many years now. Typically the flights start out along the coast and head due East all the way to an area known as Cape Churchill. The Cape is an early season gathering spot for polar bears awaiting the annual Hudson Bay freeze-up. Usually this time of year polar bears are starting to gather near and around the Cape ….however not to the extent they are now. The numbers are impressive for sure.
On the flights out along the coast, sporadic sightings of bears have been reported roughly aligning with the numbers sighted in the CWMA and elsewhere on the tundra. Once over Cape Churchill though, groups of between five and nine bears have been seen with even a confirmed sighting of about 14 bears in a line of close proximity. Natural Habitat guide Melissa Scott has been leading polar bear trips for over a decade in Churchill and she has “never seen this many bears at the cape this early in the season.” Over 30 bears in all have been tallied!
Flights out to an old polar bear denning area on the 22nd of this month had beautiful “sunny morning light” according to Scott as she accompanied her ultimate Churchill group on the flight excursion. Looking down at the patterned ground covered with verdant caribou lichen or “reindeer moss” and the slightly ice encrusted tundra lakes, the guests surely felt the Arctic spirituality from above. After a sighting of a polar bear sow with two cubs of the year (coy’s) the moose numbers were just as impressive as the gaudy numbers of Cape bears. Along the Deer River, moose were spotted in and out of the willows. The return trip revealed a group of roughly 10 moose, including two cows(one with a calf) and eight or nine males all in the same area. Breeding season is still going strong apparently.
Paul Brown photo.
Meanwhile, back on the tundra,guide Karen Walker and her travelers experienced an amazing day without traveling farther than Bird Cove in their tundra rover. Melissa and group had viewed bears close to the area the day before from helicopters so three groups headed to the spot the following day. At the outset, a pair of polar bears spent about an hour around Melissa’s rover..even standing and leaning against the vehicle, before investigating the others. These two males, around four or five year- old’s, seemed to be good buddies. They sparred and wrestled for over a half hour and then lumbered away into the willows for a nap. Karen’s rover circled the old loop road and then the driver situated the machine near the rocks. Then to the amazement of the group, the same two bears reappeared from their slumbers and resumed their wrestling bout. After awhile the bears curiously sniffed at the boots of the humans on the rear observation deck through the steel grate. All in all the bears spent almost 45 minutes under and around the rover before heading off into the cover of the undulating, craggy granitoid rocks.
" This is a hold-up...give us all your muk tuk."
On the back toward launch a majestic, thick auburn-furred red fox with fluffy tail seemed to lead the rover back home as it jumped weightlessly in and out of the willows along the trail. Four ptarmigan at about 75 yards added to the Northern palette.
Karen’s group also had some incredible sights from their helicopter journey. Aside from multiple bear and moose sightings, the group aboard the choppers also viewed about 20 seals on the rocks near the weir on the Churchill River. Heading up river toward the mouth, they pulled over to the West bank hovering very low above Sloops Cove. Once there, they were able to read the rock-engraved signatures of Thomas Hearne and others who explored the region hundreds of years ago. Amazing to think what they would think seeing the likes of a helicopter above the cove.
