The time is near for the long and exciting seven week polar bear season in Churchill. All the news and amazing images from the heart of all the action in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area!
Polar bear curious of camera on polar rover. Natural Habitat photo.
Natural Habitat Adventures guide Brad Joseph too this magnificent polar photo in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area last polar bear season. The ability to capture the detail in an image that is predominately white takes years of practice and experimenting with technical skill. Enjoy the image!
Polar bears in the snow. Brad Josephs photo.
Arctic and Red foxes compete for territory in Churchill and many seasons we see both on the tundra around town and out in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Often, alternating seasons of proliferation provides an abundance of one species or the other. More often than not, Arctic foxes are sighted with more regularity then red foxes in and around the Churchill region. Trapping and diseases such as rabies have limited the numbers in the past. Populations seem to rebound and both species can be seen and photographed throughout the year. Enjoy these images from Churchill!
Arctic fox on the Churchill tundra. Courtesy Natural Habitat Adventures.
Arctic fox sniffing the tundra for prey. Brad Josephs photo.
Red fox on the tundra. Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
Gorgeous red fox on the tundra. Colby Brokvist photo.
Arctic fox in gray morph phase. Paul Brown photo.
Red fox on the tundra. Brad Josephs photo.
This polar bear photo from Churchill Wildlife Management Area is a pair of sub-adult males sparring out on the tundra. Polar bears spar or mock fight in the fall prior to ice forming on the Hudson Bay. These confrontations are for the most part acknowledged by the polar bears as mutually beneficial. However sometimes the bouts get a little heated in the frigid north and a friendly training exercise draws some blood. Witnessing these incredible battles of polar bears truly is a once in a lifetime experience!
Polar bears squaring off on the tundra. Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
October and November, during polar bear season in Churchill, are the best months to see polar bears squaring off in mock fights. Churchillian’s know that nearly every month is polar bear season and really never let their guard down. During true polar bear season one of the main attractions is sparring usually by adult or sub-adult male polar bears preparing for the long winter on the Hudson Bay ice.
Polar bears sparring in the Churchill wildlife management Area. Brad Josephs photo.
When polar bears venture onto the ice in the Hudson Bay come late November they are prepared for potential confrontations with other bears over territory dominance of mating disputes. Sparring sessions in the Churchill wildlife Management Area and around the Hudson Bay Coast play an integral part in polar bear interactions and communication all year round. A dominance and respect is established through these fights and on the whole most bears know when to stop before serious injury is inflicted. There is also reason to believe the bears use the mock fights as a way to keep fit and alert for the long seal hunting season out on the pack ice.
The fight sessions are incredible to witness in person on the tundra in the Churchill wildlife Management Area.
Sparring bears captured up close with a telephoto lens. Brad Josephs photo.
Polar bears sparring in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Colby Brokvist photo.
Polar bears sparring in the willows. Kurt Johnson photo.
Two polar bears sparring near the tundra Lodge. Eric Rock photo.
