by Steve Selden | Aug 15, 2016 | Tour News
Natural Habitat Adventure’s Churchill Arctic summer trips are winding down and guide Moira LaPatourel submitted these images from the last trip. Looks like a group of happy travelers experienced all kinds of northern fun in Churchill! While polar bear activity has calmed down some from a couple of weeks ago, the tundra still reveals all the treasures of late summer as berries and other wildflowers are squeezing all they can out of the short growth season. Beluga whales in record high numbers have been all throughout the estuaries this summer. Last year some belugas were still present at the start of polar bear season in October and by the looks of this summer we may have a repeat of that this year.
This has been one of the most successful Churchill Arctic summer seasons on record with bears and belugas in prolific numbers. With all the supporting scenery and wildlife, this Churchill Arctic summer will be etched in many traveler’s memories!
The stark coastline of the Hudson Bay in the distance. Moira LaPatourel photo.
A Natural Habitat group bonfire behind the town complex by the Hudson Bay. Nothing like a nice wine and cheese gathering to bond a group together. Moira LaPatourel photo.
The hard – to – find Samuel Hearne etching along the Cape Merry path. Moira LaPatourel photo.
Beluga whales frolicking in the Churchill River. Moira LaPatourel photo.
The amazing polar rover escorts Natural Habitat groups out to the coast in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Moira LaPatourel photo.
by Steve Selden | Aug 11, 2016 | Videos
This aeriel video footage by Brian Fergusson gives us an idea of the incredible numbers of beluga whales in the waters surrounding the town of Churchill. The Hudson Bay and the Churchill River are filled with belugas and their young calves. The whales migrate from the north and spend the summer months in these estuaries all along the southern Hudson Bay coastline. Churchill has become the prime destination for travelers to view the pods of whales from zodiacs, kayaks and even snorkel with the mammals in the cool water. There’s no other accessible point to view thousands of belugas in such a condensed area and Churchill provides the infrastructure to comfortably partake in whale viewing excursions.
by Steve Selden | Aug 3, 2016 | Videos
Robert Kautuk, from Igloolik, Nunavut, captured this awesome drone footage of walruses swimming and interacting in the Arctic Ocean! Drones have opened up a whole new world of wildlife viewing in areas that are remote and less accessible for conventional video photography. It would be amazing to see some footage of polar bears on the Hudson Bay ice – pack searching out seal dens. Enjoy this excellent video!
by Steve Selden | Jul 22, 2016 | Churchill News
Churchill Summer Adventures – 2016
A Field Report by Natural Habitat AdventuresExpedition Leader: Moira Le Patourel
We walked across the Churchill Airport tarmac towards the waiting plane, heading back to Winnipeg. The most incredible Churchill summer experience had played out for our little band of Natural Habitat Adventurer’s over the past five days. I have been travelling to Churchill with tour groups and enjoying the sub-Arctic wonders of this area for the past three years, but I had never had an experience quite like this one.
Snorkeling with the beluga whales in theCHurchill River. Moira la Patourel photo.
Our trip started off with an early morning flight from Winnipeg to Churchill in the sunshine. Over the next five days, our group enjoyed absolutely incredible encounters with belugas; in zodiacs, the Sea North II (a larger jet-drive vessel), in kayaks and even through a snorkel mask! We were able to watch belugas exhibiting playful behavior, feeding behavior, calm-day and stormy-day activities and listen in on their incredibly active social lives in the Churchill River and the Hudson’s Bay.
Beluga whales in the Churchill River.Moira LaPatourel photo.
We were also extremely lucky to spot not one but FOUR polar bears on our five-day adventure as well! Two lone individuals, one resting on Eskimo Point and one swimming about a mile off shore in Button Bay, and one mother and cub-of-the-year onshore. I couldn’t believe our luck! The wildflowers were bursting with colour all across the landscape, with more purples and creams than I have ever seen before; it was quite a sight to behold. The bird life was also out in full force; we enjoyed sightings of Sandhill Cranes, Tundra Swans, Arctic Terns, Parasitic Jaegers, Pacific Loons with young, Snow Geese and an American Golden-Plover, to name a few.
Polar bears on the rocks at Eskimo point. Moira LaPatourel photo.
As we were headed to the airport for our departure, we were lucky enough to receive a tip from a local that the Polar Bear Holding Facility was open for tours for the next couple of hours. We only had 15 minutes to squeak in a look at the inside of the Holding Facility, but what a view it was! The Polar Bear Holding Facility has an open-house once a year, and we were just lucky enough to be there at just the right time!
As the Churchill River and the Hudson’s Bay faded out of view from the airplane windows, obscured by cloud, I looked around and could see the broad smiles on the faces of my travelling companions. This had truly been the trip of a lifetime in Churchill for all of us!
by Steve Selden | Jul 21, 2016 | Churchill Photography
This wild shot of a polar bear swimming in the Hudson Bay was captured by Natural Habitat Adventures expedition leader Moira LaPatourel in Churchill. The rare sighting of a polar bear swimming is always an incredible thrill. Keeping a safe distance when in a zodiac or small boat is a good idea. Seeing polar bears in their natural habitat is truly an experience of a lifetime.Enjoy!
Polar bear is alerted to travelers while swimming in the Hudson Bay. Moira LaPatourel photo.
