Natural Habitat Adventures guide Moira LePatourel and her last group of travelers in Churchill’s Arctic summer had a full compliment northern phenomenon. “We had the full sub-arctic experience on our final trip” Le Patourel stated. Two nights of aurora viewing and the first arctic fox sighting of the season gave this trip a unique personality shared by a very excited group of travelers. Northern lights become prevalent late at night in August and it’s always a thrill when groups see them in summer. Memories that will burn forever!
Natural Habitat Group in Churchill. Moira LePatourel photo.
The group also had the fortune to spot and observe four polar bears over the week. One polar bear was swimming in the Hudson Bay and another resting peacefully on the smooth, rocky Precambrian shield. Another mom and her cub were seen over in Button Bay lounging on the beach getting suntans.
Polar bear mom and cub on the beach at Button Bay. Moira LePatourel photo.
Polar bears resting on the beach. Moira LePatourel photo.
An incredible bounty of belugas crowded the Hudson Bay and Churchill River all week as the last stage of summer plays itself out. “We also got to hear the cello being played on the explore.org research boat and saw the whales come swimming over in response to musician Rob’s music. All that and the sun shining for most of our trip too! Couldn’t have asked for a better finale.” expressed LePatourel.
Belugas in the Churchill River. Moira LePatourel photo.
This beluga whale shot taken by Andy Murch and BigFishExpeditions.com at the bottom of the Churchill River is a unique photo that you don’t see that often. Getting down to the seabed gives an incredible scale and awesome fresh look. Enjoy!
Beluga whales trained by biologists to retrieve experimental torpedoes in the 1970’s and 80’s in Arctic cold waters thought of themselves as family to the crew. They often formed deep bonds with their trainers and would stay with them even though they were able to swim freely. The whales, especially one, learned to express their devotion in a quite human-like way over the years!
Beluga whale communicating with his pod in Churchill. Ellen Cuylaerts photo.
Biologist Sam Ridgeway was one of the bilogists working with the whales and had high praise for the mammals.
“They come to think of us as family,” Ridgway said. “And that’s the reason they stay with us. We have no way of completely controlling them, and yet they do their job and come back. They kind of view themselves as part of a team.”
One of the belugas was named Noc (pronounced no-see) and he was particularly bonded to the staff. One day a navy diver thought he heard a command from his supervisor over the intercom while diving but it wasn’t from him. it was actually Noc mimicking human voice after carefully observing the interactions and commands from his loyal crew.
The diver thought he heard a voice order him to get out of the training tank. However his supervisor had not given any such order. Noc had over – inflated his nasal cavity in order to distort the sound he emitted. It was eerily human – like. Following this initial incident, Noc often attempted to communicate with his trainers and even did so on command.
If you listen closely you will hear the underwater dialogue that closely resembles human speech. Many whales and dolphins have this incredible ability to communicate through language. Blue whales have been studied and found to communicate over a 1000 mile stretch of ocean. We have so much more to learn from these incredible animals in the realm of audible communication!
A fresh new documentary by The Nature of Things called: Polar Bears: A Summer Odyssey gives a comprehensive look at how a western Hudson Bay polar bear survives the ice free months of Arctic summer. Survival is linked to determination for these creatures in this new climate!
