Anyone who thinks that fall is the only time you can see polar bears in Churchill, MB hasn’t ventured north in the summertime to the Hudson Bay. Local resident Jodi Grosbrink took these recent photos of some majestic “summer” bears out in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. Enjoy!
Polar bear sow and cub on the coast. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
White crowned sparrow on lichen encrusted rock. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Polar bears on the coast. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Polar bear sow and cub in the Hudson Bay. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Sow and cub in the rocks off Eskimo Point. Stefanie Fernandez photo.
Polar bear sow and cub out near Halfway Point. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
Natural Habitat’s first Churchill Arctic Summer group enjoyed an amazing week of flora, whales, birds and even five polar bears! An incredible feast of wildlife and wildflowers to start the summer.
Here’s the bird list..Bonnie Chartier would be proud…
Gulls, arctic tern, osprey, raven, white-crowned sparrow, Canada goose, greater yellow legs, surf scoter, parasitic jaeger, sandhill crane, common eider, lesser scaup, American robin, whimbrel, mallard duck, red-breasted merganser, trumpeter swan, snow goose, Wilsonian godwit, horned grebe
White-crowned sparrow with lunch. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
The five polar bears for July is quite a bounty. Here’s what Natural Habitat guide Stephanie Fernandez came across with her travelers. An adult male, A sow with two yearlings out at Eskimo Point and a snow white sow and cub out near halfway point while the group was on their polar rover excursion.
Sow and yearlings (coy’s) in the rocks off Eskimo Point. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
The colors of summer in Churchill are not in the sky but on the ground in the form of wildflowers. A continuous cycle of color explodes throughout the short growth season and then morphs into the earthen colors preceding fall. Life of the earth.
With the northern summer approaching and fall polar bear season just on the other side, I wanted to share some of the classic photo’s from the archives.Those who make the trek to Churchill in the summer to see the amazing tundra with all its’ wildflowers and micro-environments, thousands of beluga whales, foxes, bears and incredible, diverse bird life. The calm serenity of the foggy, chilly summer makes the isolation in nature all the more healing to the soul. If you have the itch to head north this Summer or Fall, Natural Habitat Adventures has a custom trip for you.
Beluga whales in the clear, cold water of the mouth of the Churchill River. Photo Steve Selden
Summer contrasts the fall when Churchill bustles with action from all the businesses and workers catering to the travelers descending upon the frontier town with hopes of seeing the majestic interactions of the polar bears. Of course there are other sights to take in as well…foxes, Arctic hare, snowy owls and other raptors, the changing weather systems and possibly some aurora borealis displays. However, the main attraction in October and November is Ursus Maritimus…or the polar bear. Perhaps this is why the summer continues to be my personal favorite time to head north…the wide range of sights and discoveries one can find each day. Anyone that loves polar bears and their kingdom must come to the region when the bears are mostly out on the Hudson Bay ice to the north.
Curious polar bear checking out travelers.
Aurora borealis over the boreal forest in Churchill,MB. Brad Josephs photo.
Well built inukshuk and igloo in Churchill. Karen Walker photo.
A polar bear keeps a watchful eye from the shelter of willows.
Avid sled dogs in Churchill,MB. Brad Josephs photo.
A polar bear relaxes and cools in the snow. Colby Brokvist photo.
Check out this documentary on polar bears and walruses in the frozen north. Pretty amazing footage. Happy new year to all! Looking forward to another year of amazing stories, photographs and video from the Arctic and Churchill, Manitoba.
