This magnificent common loon and chick was spotted on a thermokarst pond out by the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. These majestic and haunting birds will often circle their water surroundings and give their haunting call to announce the arrival of their offspring. Always an incredible experience to see these in the sub – Arctic.
Common loon and her chick on the water in Churchill. Moira LaPatourel photo.
With the Cape Merry battery looming in the distance, a beluga sow and calf frolic in the Churchill River. Whale interaction has been off the charts this season with pods of belugas all over the waters surrounding Churchill. Snorkeling and kayaking have been particular highlights for groups as well this season.
Beluga whales in the Churchill River with Cape Merry in the background. Moira LaPatourel photo.
A rarely seen bald eagle made an appearance and perched atop this krumholz spruce on the open tundra. A perfect spot for eyeing lemmings scurrying across the ground.
A bald eagle perched on a spruce tree in the open tundra of Churchill. Moira LaPatourel photo.
A group of travelers gets more of a birds – eye view from the deck of the Sea North I on the Hudson Bay. This vessel provides more of a view above the beluga whales for slightly better photo opportunities. Venturing over to Button Bay or further into the Hudson Bay is another facet this larger jet propulsion craft provides.
Viewing beluga whales in the Churchill River from the Sea North I vessel. Moira LaPatourel photo.
Natural Habitat travelers enjoy the versatility of a zodiac excursion on the Churchill River. The small craft often can cruise the coastline and discover a gem like this resting polar bear on the Precambrian shield! Seeing polar bears in Churchill Arctic summer is such an awesome experience and often more of a thrill than seeing the king of the Arctic in polar bear season!
Travelers view a polar bear from a zodiac in the Churchill River. Moira LaPatourel photo.
Fireweed has consumed the landscape at this point of the season. The purple injects a swath of color to the landscape that blends the blues of the water and rocks with the subdued earth colors of the tundra.
Fields of wildflowers across the tundra in Churchill. Moira LaPatourel photo.
With current studies showing nearly a third of the Arctic’s tundra regions are warming (NASA), research is supporting the current Arctic “greening” is directly attributed to greenhouse gas emissions from human related activity. Research from the study was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
The “greening” being witnessed in these areas of the Arctic is being attributed to “anthropogenic forcings, particularly to rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.” Researchers are seeing a precipitation decline in areas that are not greening to a large extent. Increased usage of fossil fuels as well as fertilizers related to population growth is also contributing to the greening of certain areas.
NASA’s findings, confirms that global warming has been greatly affecting the vegetation in high latitude areas and Arctic greening is indeed an alarming trend.
A potential strike between Via Rail and its union Unifor was averted late Sunday thus allowing service across the country and specifically Churchill to continue this summer.
Churchill’s Via rail station with a train on the dock. Cartan Tours photo.
Unifor represents about 1,800 of Via’s 2,500 employees, was threatening a strike Monday at 12:01 a.m. However, Via announced via Twitter late Sunday that all trains would operate as scheduled. This news was greeted with a sigh of relief by many in Churchill as the busy beluga whale tourism season is starting now. With no roads into the town of Churchill, the only way to reach the polar bear capital is by train or airplane. Losing the more affordable train service would preclude many travelers from reaching the sub-Arctic village. That would also cause economic strife for many of Churchill’s businesses and seasonal workers.
Beluga whales in the Churchill river. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.
With this strike hurdle averted, we are hoping for another amazing Churchill Arctic Summer season with incredible surprises throughout. Stay tuned for updates from the tundra!
Black bear in Churchill with what’s left of a lesser snow goose in his mouth. Rhonda Reid photo.
This close – up photo of a black bear in Churchill with the wing of a lesser snow goose in his mouth has many people excited to see the rarely seen animal. This bear species does reach into the far north but are not often seen at this close range.
Bears of all varieties are becoming more apt at gathering food in the wild. Voracious polar bears in Churchill have been observed on seal – kills all year round and scavenging eggs and tundra berries. Occasionally a beluga whale carcass will feed a dozen bears for a few days. This recent trend in feeding is quite possibly an adaptive survival technique due to the warming climate and reduced sea ice season. Since polar bears have a shorter time on ice hunting seals they need to find alternative food sources in order to maintain a year – round body healthy body weight.
These four cool shots of this beautiful red fox were captured by Churchill wildlife photographer Alex De Vries – Magnifico. The foxes we have been seeing throughout this year have displayed wildly vibrant color in their coats. Arctic summer in Churchill provides incredible chances to view both red and Arctic foxes in their natural habitat. Summer wildlife in Churchill abounds out along the tundra and in the cool Hudson Bay waters and Churchill River.
Red fox relaxing on the Precambrian shield in Churchill. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Red fox keeping out a weary eye for prey or predators in Churchill. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Red fox on the watch. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
Stretching red fox with a Canada goose in the background. Alex De Vries Magnifico photo.
