Here’s a favorite polar bear photo to get you excited about the season coming in October. Churchill already has quite a few bears around town and it looks to be a bountiful season full of polar bears!
Polar bears squaring off on the tundra. Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
Dennis Fast from Churchill captured these magnificent colorful polar bear shots in glowing fireweed. The unique photos were published by CBC News to highlight the way polar bears playfully interact with their surrounding environment. We view them most of the year in snowy settings, however with sea ice melting earlier in the Spring, polar bears are arriving on the coastal lowlands earlier and more often throughout the Arctic summer months.
An up close look at what confronting a polar bear in the wild might look and feel like. Scottish filmmaker Gordon Buchanon withstands the tenacious onslaught of a 700lb polar bear trying to sample him for a meal. For over Forty five minutes the bear probed the plexiglass cage in the chilled Arctic air searching for weak spots. Even knowing there’s a solid layer of protection between you and the polar bear can raise more than a few hairs on the back of your neck!
This photograph of a beluga whale pod feeding on capelin in the Churchill River illustrates how focused these mammals are when taking on a task. When they feed they will ignore any whale watching boats. However when they have had their fill the whales will become extremely focused on the zodiacs and bigger boats and become very curious. Biding time on the water while the beluga’s get their fill is certainly worth the wait!
Beluga whales concentrating on getting capelin. Alex De Vries-Magnifico photo.
Churchill is winding down from the summer season and it won’t be long before polar bears outnumber Churchillians in this part of the world. Polar bear season is two months away and bears are already appearing in this frontier town on the Hudson Bay. Here are some classic photographs to inspire adventure in everyone.
Largest polar bear recorded; 2,209 lbs.
Dan Guravich photo.
Curious polar bear and curious onlookers. Natural Habitat Adventures photo.
Polar bears in Churchill. Melissa Scott Photo.
Polar bear sow and cub out near Halfway Point. Stephanie Fernandez photo.
