A fast start to polar bear season 2014 has excited Natural Habitat guides and travelers sighting polar bears and other Arctic wildlife all over the tundra of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA).
Polar bear resting in the rocks.
Not to be outdone, although yearly, they clearly are, elevated numbers of ptarmigan scurried across the tundra…slipping in and out of the cover of willow stands. Guide Elise and group enjoyed the wide expanse of the land dotted by the flightless birds and then headed over to the Tundra Lodge where sparring bears gained widespread approval of wide-eyed onlookers aboard the polar rover.
Another male polar bear on approach and one lounging out on the point beyond the lodge nibbling on grass were some bonus sightings for the early season group.
Overall it was an “incredibly diverse day of sun, snow and varying temperatures” according to Elise.
Two polar bears spar in front of a pond, Brad Josephs photo,
A lurking bear close to the school today might have been the same bear to inspire cracker shots from Manitoba Conservation officers last night.
As most of us slowly ease into the fall season and notice the changing colors on the deciduous trees in North America, Churchill,MB has already been greeted with a coating of early winter snow. Cool temperatures forecast for the next several days are a great start to the season and a harbinger of a long, cold winter on the shores of the Hudson Bay. Hopefully another long season for polar bears out on the Hudson Bay ice pack for ample seal hunting.
First snowy night in Churchill,MB. Katie DeMeulles photo.
As the current polar bear season gets into gear, with the first Natural Habitat group out on the tundra lodge, many more eager travelers await their upcoming charter flight from Winnipeg to Churchill and a chance to see what we feel is the worlds most majestic and intriguing animal on the planet…the mighty polar bear.
Here are some past polar bear photo’s to get you all excited about new images and video coming in the next month and a half of exciting trips to the Churchill Wildlife Management Area and the surrounding region of Churchill,MB. Enjoy and keep tuned in to churchillpolarbears.org to get updates on all the news from the north.
Polar bear sow and cub on the precambrian shield.
Up close and personal with a polar bear.
Sparring polar bears in the CWMA. Rick Pepin photo.
A polar bear relaxes and cools in the snow. Colby Brokvist photo.
Check out this cool video of beluga whales swimming in the Churchill River in Churchill,Manitoba. Although summer is coming down the stretch here in Churchill, the whales are still hanging in the shallows of the river and Hudson Bay. A beautiful time of year in Churchill when time seems to come to a standstill. Enjoy this fantastic video! Have the urge to get up close and personal with these exotic creatures? Check out the 2015 summer season at Natural Habitat’s website!
Natural Habitat guide Stephanie Fernandez has had a busy Arctic summer in Churchill. These recent photos portray an amazing July and August full of wildlife, wildflowers and tundra life. The next couple of weeks will show a subtle transition toward fall as the land begins to paint itself in more earthen colors signaling the onset of the wild winter ahead. Nothing matches the liveliness of Churchill in summertime….a naturalists and explorers dreamworld!
Sow and cub resting peacefully on the precambrian shield. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Natural Habitat travelers on the beach facing the Hudson Bay. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Churchill River weir observation tower. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Cross fox on glacial till along the beach. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
A Natural Habitat traveler tries her hand at driving the polar rover. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Sunset over the Hudson Bay. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Rare photo of a polar bear swimming. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
A beluga attracted to the bubbles and vibration of the zodiac motor. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Belugas at the back of the zodiac. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Arctic wildflowers with precambrian shield lying beyond. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
The beluga’s melon is used for echolocation. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Here’s an on -site report from Natural Habitat guide Stephanie Fernandez direct from Churchill ,Manitoba…home to some of the most amazing wildlife in the Arctic. So far the summer has been incredible with polar bears all across the tundra. Beluga whales are the highlight of the summer though we have seen bears regularly as well.
Polar bear sow and cub on the coast. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
“Off we go at the speed of… well, 2 mph. Slowly we enter the world of Churchill’s subarctic tundra where life seems to be at a standstill (except the wind). Shallow ponds dominate the flat landscape. Lichens and miniature plants cover the ground while willow thickets and stands of white spruce add increased dimension to the scenery.
White crowned sparrow on lichen encrusted rock. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
As we continue our journey on-board the Tundra Rover, our eyes constantly catch the movement of the feathered inhabitants of the tundra. We continue on searching for the furred members. Bill (our rover driver) stops as he has spotted a bear. Where we ask? All we see is a cream colored rock where he is pointing to way out in the distance nestled in the many other rocks. It does not move. Off we go.
Polar bears on the coast. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
An hour later we arrive at Half Way Point, at the edge of Hudson Bay, where we park to prepare our rover dinner. Bill still sees “his” bear. We look and look, but it does not move. Between us and the distant “bear”, a single young caribou is roaming freely, grazing.
Hey, look closer! bears! Susan and Emily announce. There they are, a beautiful and healthy sow with her chubby cub of the year. We all watch intently through our binoculars after the initial commotion of the sighting.
Polar bear sow and cub in the Hudson Bay. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
They walk slowly in our direction but disappear behind the rocks. We hold our breaths. Mom appears first over the gravel mound with cub in tow. They stop. She is inquisitive about our presence. She sniffs the air for a few moments and nonchalantly continues behind the rocks, down onto the beach, finds a spot on the washed up bed of kelp, and dozes off into a nap. Her cub stretches before cuddling up against her.
Sow and cub in the rocks off Eskimo Point. Stefanie Fernandez photo.
We celebrate with a delicious grilled rover dinner!
But wait, what happened to the “bear” that Bill sighted? It actually woke up momentarily, stretched and went back to be being a “rock” bear again.
Polar bear sow and cub out near Halfway Point. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
On the way back to the Rover Launch station, we spot an Arctic fox running ahead of us, perhaps in pursuit a lemming.”
