These three photos from the far north highlight the vastness and mystery of the Arctic and the smallness of a human within the endless landscape.Solitude and quietness are aspects of this land that endure through the ages. This is what draws so many to this magical place…the feeling of being alone and away from all the distractions of feeling and thought.
A polar bear tests the ice along the Hudson Bay. Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bear sensing the air in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Colby Brokvist photo.
Fantastic red fox close up in Churchill. Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bears roaming the tundra in Churchill. Colby Brokvist photo.
The tundra in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area is alive and bustling with Arctic wildlife. Polar bears, Red and Arctic foxes, as well as Ptarmigan, are being spotted throughout the region. With the polar bear season in full gear, the images are coming fast and furious. This polar bear season has about two weeks to go and the scene is set for incredible culmination out on the snow-covered tundra of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Keep watching for more news and images from the north!
Polar bear mom and cubs on the tundra. Jason Luoma photo.
Polar bear taking a look into the polar rover. Kry Walczak photo.
Two sparring male polar bears near the tundra lodge in Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Jason Luoma photo.
With snow already covering the tundra in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, polar bears have become more active and are up and about sparring and moving along the coastal region near the Tundra Lodge. Numbers of bears being spotted by Natural Habitat Adventures groups are close to 15 or more.
Here are two Natural Habitat Adventure guide reports from the past week in Churchill:
“Wildlife is exceptional for this time of year, and some exceptional moments in general. These include snowy owl and raven “playing” and gyrfalcons hunting and fighting over kills. Also a nice cross fox, three Arctic foxes and tons of polar bears. Sow and two coy were a highlight and we had young bears at the rovers and lodge for up-close encounters.”
“Wildlife is OFF THE CHARTS. A true banner week for this early in the season. We had three diverse weather days and incredible wildlife sightings, including: eight polar bears with close encounters, Arctic fox, red fox (silver morph),gyrfalcon, harbor seal, snow bunting, snowy owl, semi-palmated plovers, semi-palmated sandpipers, glaucous gulls, herring gulls, willow ptarmigan, common raven and common eider!!”
This pair of Arctic foxes were caught rumbling around in the willows atop the snow covered tundra by Natural Habitat Adventures guide Colby Brokvist with his group travelers. Churchill endured an early winter blizzard this past week and the land has a nice white blanket for animals to hide in. These foxes are somewhat hard to make out as they playfully spar and spring away from each other. Another unexpected Churchill wildlife treasure we have not seen in a long time. Polar bears are also amassing in good numbers for this time of year and with the snow we should see some sparring action like that of the foxes soon. Enjoy!
We’ve posted other videos of Arctic foxes hunting lemmings in the snow – covered tundra and they all are fantastic. This video is a bit humorous as well as a pretty cool synopsis of the technique needed to hone in on the furry little mammals, usually lemmings, beneath the snow. We never get tired of watching these hunting sequences in Churchill! Enjoy!
