Sights and Sounds of Northern Lights in Churchill

This short edited time lapse of cascading northern lights over the S/V Ithaca in Churchill is a unique view in to the northern frontier world. It’s cool to imagine what some of the early explorers experienced on those cold, dark nights in the Hudson Bay. The sights and sounds of the aurora borealis in any remote Arctic region give thrills and chills to even the most seasoned traveler! Churchill’s Arctic summer is quickly approaching and it will be interesting to see if northern lights prevail at the start and then toward the end of summer.

Haunting Ithaca Shipwreck Under Northern lights

Churchill photographer Katie de Meulles was able to capture these haunting yet beautiful images of the iconic Ithaca shipwreck. The ship lays grounded on the rocky sea – bed 12 miles east of town in Bird Cove. When the ship grounded it was being operated by the Clarke Steamship Company to deliver nickel from Rankin Inlet. She was sailing on return north filled with supplies for the settlement when the ships rudder fractured in 80 mph winds. When the anchors failed she ran aground on September 14th, 1960 and never moved again. All 37 crew and passengers aboard were rescued.  Because the Hudson Bay is shallow along coastal areas the waves are less likely to break old wrecks apart during storms.

These intriguing shots are unique with the northern lights glimmering above the rusting hulk.The beauty blends with the symbol of tragedy to stir mixed emotions in the viewer!

MV Ithaca Churchill

MV Ithaca in Churchill. Katie de Meulles photo.

MV ithaca in Churchill

Northern lights above the MV Ithaca. Katie de Meulles photo.

MV Ithaca in Churchill

Erie view of the MV Ithaca in Churchill. Katie de Meulles photo.

MV Ithaca in Churchill

Darkened mass of the MV Ithaca in Churchill. Katie de Meulles photo.

MV Ithaca in Churchill

MV Ithaca with glowing aurora borealis in the sky above. Katie de Meulles photo.

MV Ithaca northern lights Churchill, Manitoba

MV Ithaca with a strand of northern lights behind. Katie de Meulles photo.

MV Ithaca in Churchill

MV Ithaca under the aurora borealis in Churchill. Katie de Meulles photo.

Port of Churchill Sale Expected Soon

Port of Churchill Churchill, Manitoba

The Port of Churchill sale expected to go through soon.

Anticipation of Manitoba’s port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay rail-line sale going through is building. The deal involving current owner Omnitrax from Denver, Colorado and a group of Manitoba First Nations are expected to finalize the sale in the short term. Omnitrax is opting out of the grain shipping business as a result of decreased numbers. After the Canadian Wheat Board dissolved and government incentives dried up, the shipping quota dwindled to 186,000 tons this past fall season- about a third of the average total for past seasons. It just seems as if Omnitrax’s heart wasn’t in the business as shipping totals have fallen consistently over the last few years. Hopes are high that a localized group with more alliances will spur growth and provide consistent employment for more local people in Churchill. Stay tuned for updates!

Beluga Whales from a Drone’s Perspective

 

National Geographic wildlife photographer Nansen Weber has been going to Cunningham Inlet by Canada’s Somerset Island in the high Arctic with his cameras for 16 years. Every summer thousands of beluga whales join him for an amazing spectacle in the shallow inlet. For about a month, the beluga whales gather for what is a very social time as well as  molting period and nursery time for newborns. The Cunningham River is a northerly version of the Churchill and surrounding estuaries in the southern Hudson Bay in that its’ temperatures average eight degrees F warmer than the surrounding ocean waters. The warmer water is a welcome respite for the whales and facilitates the behavior mentioned.

Weber and the whales seem to coexist in the inlet with the belugas approaching him closely as if they remember him from the year before. The drone footage of the whales, polar bears, and the incredible rugged landscape lends perspective to the massive wild region that is largely unspoiled.

That notion could be changing however with climate change and federal policy allowing research and transport throughout the Arctic. Shipping channels around the Northwest Passage are becoming more accessible with ice reduction due to warming temperatures. This will allow large ships in the region and they, with all the noise they produce,  will undoubtedly have an affect on the animals echolocation faculties.

“This might be the only place on Earth you can enjoy the beluga whales like this that is still wild like it’s been for the last 500 years, but maybe it’s going to be changing. Just in my lifetime of being in the Arctic for 20 years, I’ve seen climate change. There’s new birds that are migrating up north that I haven’t seen before, there’s mosquitoes now where there shouldn’t be mosquitoes, the ice patterns and weather patterns are all weird. It’s kind of a dilemma that’s always there in the back of your head while you’re enjoying the beluga whale spectacle in front of you,” Weber says.

Weber’s videos and photos shed light on how ship traffic and resulting noise pollution may alter the beluga whale population’s migratory routes. “There has been scientific evidence that the ship traffic—the sonar—affects the communication between the belugas, so that could definitely be a problem for the future for our belugas in Cunningham Inlet.”

All of the Arctic region and all of its inhabitants will be affected with changing climate. “It’s not only about the beluga whales. I mean, we have polar bears, there’s narwhals and bowheads along the Northwest Passage, arctic char that run in the rivers. Inland you have the musk ox, the caribou that graze, all the migratory birds that fly up every summer to enjoy the short arctic summer, the snowy owls, the falcons. It’s just a huge ecosystem that’s all tied together,” states Weber.

Churchill Video of the Week – Orcas

In guiding 10 years of exciting Churchill Arctic Summer adventures in Churchill, there was only one year that we had orca or killer whales appear in the Hudson Bay. Unfortunately, we were not out on the water for the brief encounter and had to be satisfied, or more aptly phrased, frustrated and dismayed to see the incredible photos later on.

killer whales in the Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba.

Orca’s in the Hudson Bay. Dwight Allen photo.

It seems that with the global warming discussion there have been some noticeable environmental changes that the politicians and analysts don’t see from such a personal perspective. Orca whales have been surfacing more routinely in the Arctic waters of the Hudson Bay and people have been able to document their presence. The shift in territorial presence perhaps is a sign that the weather patterns are changing and new species are able to adapt to a new region more easily. Traditionally, killer whales have had a hard time infiltrating the ice – packed Arctic waters due to their large dorsal fin. As ice is receding and lasting shorter periods in the north, orcas are broadening their range and becoming even more of a predator of seals and other Arctic whales like belugas and narwhals. It is pretty impressive to see these beautiful creatures in the wild.

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