Canada day was just a few weeks ago and part of the festivities is the annual Hudson Bay dip took place in Churchill. The dip is an outpouring of community fun and bravery to enter the 40 degree F water. The year I took part there was still ice floating near shore and the water was exceptionally cold. Extremities become numb almost immediately but the thrill is worth the pain! Enjoy the fun from this 2013 footage!
Summer on the Churchill River is predominately for beluga whale watching. However, occasionally each season presents the amazing opportunity to view polar bears on the rocks around Cape Merry or Eskimo Point just north of Fort Prince of Wales across river. This video was filmed by Sea North Tours near Eskimo Point and the sow and cub polar bears are in clear view. What an unbelievable experience for all travelers lucky enough to be aboard the zodiacs in Churchill!
Churchill’s summer wildflowers are in full bloom igniting the tundra with a patchwork of life exuding color. The Arctic wildflowers are incredible and throughout the summer different waves of color emerge. As a guide for the Arctic summer trips, I became immersed in identifying the flowers and educating travelers on the unique qualities of each. The tundra and its colors are one aspect of the amazing Churchill Arctic summer!
Round-leaved orchid, purple paintbrush and bog asphodel. Rhonda Reid photo.
Round – leaved orchid in Churchill. Steve Selden photo.
Churchill wildflowers on the tundra. Steve Selden Photo.
August colors of the tundra. Ed Bouvier photo.
Yesterday, in Churchill, Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages and Minister responsible for Manitoba, along with Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger announced the future construction of $31.7 million marine research facility, the Churchill Marine Observatory, in Churchill. The facility will be located adjacent to the Port of Churchill which is Canada’s sole Arctic accessible deep-water port.
Officials in Churchill announcing plans for Churchill Marine Observatory. Town of Churchill photo.
Apparently the main focus of the Churchill Marine Observatory will be a facility for researchers to study discovery, impact and mitigation of oil spill disasters in sea ice regions within the northern Arctic and subarctic regions. The observatory will also study issues encompassing present and future Arctic marine transportation. Climate change and sea ice shifting has created new possibilities for shipping in the northern regions. Canada and specifically Churchill will be strategically positioned globally through ongoing study of the scientific and economic issues that pertain to Arctic marine transportation with regards to oil and gas exploration.
Researchers from major Canadian universities, University of Washington and Canadian federal government departments will come together through this new facility. Saltwater subpools and an environmental observing system constructed on the Churchill estuary will allow scientists to study actual conditions and complications of oil spills in Arctic seawater and sea ice. Overall, hopes the project will strengthen Canada’s capacity to protect the environment in the Arctic.
An overcast day in Churchill provided the perfect setting for some beautiful photographs of the natural surroundings of the region. Birds are nesting and the wildflowers are blooming all over the tundra. Beluga whales are arriving in the Churchill River in pods and we will be posting photos soon from some Natural Habitat Adventures trips in July. Enjoy these Awesome photos!
Arctic tern in a nesting area. Rhonda Reid photo.
This exquisite close – up image of an Arctic Tern incubating eggs on its nest shows just how camouflaged their eggs are. It took me awhile to even see the one egg in front of the tern since it blends so well into the tundra. Arctic terns lay 1 – 3 eggs and both the male and female incubate the eggs for up to 22 days. After birth the parents supply small fish up until they fledge at three to four weeks old. Female and male Arctic terns mate for at least a year and can mate for life. Females lay eggs once a year. Terns live on average up to 34 years.
The photo of the three Arctic tern eggs illustrates the magnificent camouflage adaptation the eggs have developed over many years. The way animals and their eggs adapt to the environment using camouflage is fascinating. Survival of species depends on these slight changes over periods of time. The faster a species can adapt the longer they can survive in nature.
The Precambrian shield rolls down to the Hudson Bay in Churchill. Rhonda Reid photo.
Precambrian shield with a bog and krumholz spruce. Rhonda Reid photo.
These two photos of Precambrian shield rolling toward the Hudson Bay show how the rocks have been smoothed over in previous eras by ice and water covering them. If you look closely you can see marks or “striations” caused from rocks embedded in the bottom of glaciers that were dragged over them during the slow movements of the massive ice formations. It’s quite interesting to search out these striations while hiking over the shield in Churchill.
Eider duck female and her brood of five chicks. Rhonda Reid photo.
