Kugluktuk, Nunavut is experiencing ice break – up season. This video footage from Alison Harper submitted to the CBC just a couple of days ago illustrates the magnificence of the spring ice – flow process as the warmer weather ushers the floes out of the Coppermine River in the Nunavut community. The Churchill River broke up recently but this Coppermine ice is much more crystalized and faster flowing than the Churchill. There’s something very soothing and medatative about watching ice flow out as spring sets in.
This documentary by The Nature of Things, Polar Bears: A Summer Odyssey, stars a Western Hudson Bay curious teenage polar bear near Churchill. This picturesque footage, filmed over a year, follows a juvenile polar bear’s migration through the frigid Hudson Bay waters to the rocky Pre – Cambrian shores and documents the challenges to subsist on whatever he can during the ice – free season.
As a first year cub on his own he faces the new burden that global warming is contributing to his world, and ours. Spending Summer seasons on the land for polar bears has been a way of life for thousands of years. Researchers have theorized that the polar bears main migration path is guided by the stars and their mothers teach them this survival technique they will use for their entire lives.
With ice – free days continuing to increase with time, polar bears are finding ways to adapt to the trials of becoming more land – based predators. This shows some of the burdens they face in the sub -Arctic!
This thrilling footage of orca whales coordinating a seal hunt in Antarctica exhibits the collaboration these animals rely on to maximize their potential to capture prey in the harsh conditions of Antarctica. Orcas have been spotted more regularly in the Arctic waters this past decade and are increasingly hunting those waters with more ice – free days. The Hudson Bay waters around Churchill have been frequented by orcas within the last few years. It will be interesting to see how these animals interact with polar bears as they compete for prey during the ice free or even semi ice – free seasons.
Caribou grazing on the tidal lowlands out at Cape Churchill seem content and calm. Arctic summer is the greatest time of year in Churchill in my opinion as various wildlife moves into the region and everywhere you look there’s some kind of action. Polar bear season has the big draw here though the bountiful Churchill Arctic summer is by far the most exhilarating time for seeing the abundance of northern life forms. From tundra, to hundreds of migratory birds, to the Hudson Bay, incredible experiences are there for any nature enthusiast! Journey to Churchill this summer!
Wonderful images of the thousands of active beluga whales that migrate south to the Churchill River and surrounding estuaries. This amazing time of year in the north is unmatched for all around natural beauty. From the magnificent belugas to the throngs of migratory birds, tundra wildflowers, awesome polar bears and other northern wildlife species and even the possibility of viewing the iconic northern lights later in the season, Churchill has it all in the Arctic summertime!
Polar bears like to play and are quite gregarious at times. This video footage from the BBC shows two fun – loving polar bears having quite a time in the snow. The Arctic has millions of square kilometers of open space for polar bears to roam and play. Of course polar bears spend winters hunting seals which can be stressful so they also have to release their tension with some fun!
