This photograph by Parcs Canada is an amazing discovery of a common crane. The bird is rarely seen in North America and Churchill has been lucky enough to be the landing spot for this particular crane. Mixed in with a group of sandhill cranes, this common crane seems to be on the lam from somewhere. The cranes were spotted at the grain ponds by the Port of Churchill. Birdwatchers are keeping eyes open for other rare bird species in Churchill!
Common crane spotted in Churchill mixed in with sandhill cranes. Parcs Canada photo.
A polar bear swimming in the Hudson Bay is a great way to kick off the summer. Polar bears will often get in the water to try and take a seal though they also enjoy the occasional cool dip on a hot day. Polar bears are curious and playful by nature and this young sub – adult seems to have plenty of energy. Witnessing all the different behaviors of polar bears in the wild is why venturing to Churchill is so rewarding. Photographers come here because they can get all the different facets of a polar bear’s life often in one trip. Enjoy this Churchill Video of the Week!
Incredible beluga whale photos are hard to come by from deck level of boats on the Churchill River or Hudson Bay. Timing the surfacing of the whales is a guess at best and quite often the photos come out with a bunch of white humps protruding from the dark seawater. This view from a helicopter captures a unique perspective that places the travelers in the middle of the beluga whale pod and instead of the whales being the main subject, both humans and whales equally share the focus. One of the best shots I’ve ever seen!
Kayakers in Churchill surrounded by beluga whales. Sea North Tours photo.
Alex de Vries – Magnifico took this photo from an ultra light above the Hudson Bay…pretty impressive and gutsy. You can see the ice has broken up in the Churchill River and soon beluga whales will be filling the water in all directions. Enjoy the view!
The winter dive on the HMS Erebus, Sir john Franklin’s long lost but now found ship, went well but is only “scratching the surface” according to senior researchers on the expedition.
Divers were literally scratching the surface of the sunken ship. Removing the kelp that covered the old wooden hull was the first task to be able to get a better look at the wreck in relation to the overall site. Rather than strip it all away from the entire ship they cut it off only along the port side of the 34-meter long wooden vessel.
Although the Erebus has not disclosed much information about its fate as of yet, clearing the hull and mapping the site has provided more of a story.
Jonathan Moore drilling the ice for a dive hole at Erebus Dive Camp. Parks Canada photo.
Parcs Canada senior underwater archeologist Ryan Harris says the artifacts recovered so far “can help capture what life was like inside Erebus, as well as perhaps on the still-missing second ship of the Franklin expedition, HMS Terror.” Brass buttons, a cannon and ceramic dinner plates have all been discovered and are currently on display with a dozen other items in Gatineau, Quebec.
Brass buttons discovered can be narrowed down to only four crewmen. Parks Canada photo.
Ceramic dinner plates found at the Erebus wreck site. Parcs Canada photo.
In another mysterious and intriguing twist to the expedition, glass prisms were placed inside the upper deck which focused a very small amount light streaming through a skylight, and allowed that daylight to pass through, into the dark spaces below.
“It looks like something out of Jules Verne,” Harris says. “At this point in time, we’re absolutely just scratching the surface of what we might learn from this shipwreck,”
A cannon from the HMS Erebus is pulled to the surface through one of the dive holes cut in two-meter thick ice. Jonathan Moore/ Parcs Canada photo.
