Natural Habitat guides arrived in Churchill to furnished staff houses set up for operations thanks to long -time veteran operations manager Darcy Callaghan. Guides hit the ground running in this busiest season and not having to worry about basic needs is always a good thing.
Arriving on a Calm Air charter , guides Karen, Justin and Melissa enjoyed comfortable rear seating and looked out into a near cloudless sky down over the fall colors bordering Lake Winnipeg. Further north, the transition into boreal forest soon melded into a landscape of scattered tundra ponds. Sights that will endure forever in one’s mind.
On the ground a light dusting of snow highlights bushy branches sticking through, so the tundra has a greyish beautiful color to it. The three groups landed to a beautiful calm sunny day in Churchill. On the way from the airport, a white-headed bald eagle & an immature eagle were spotted on the bay side by the radar domes. Shortly after, on the other side, near the railroad tracks, a nice large red fox with a white-tipped bushy tail zig -zagged across the tundra.
Back in town, behind the town complex, a relatively calm Hudson Bay moored three cargo ships about five miles out awaiting a call to port. Guide Karen and her group visited the Eskimo Museum then drove the back road stopping at Miss Piggy en rout to the rover launch -site. Once out in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, a clear evening on the tundra gave way to clouds and only a small line of pinkish- orange on the horizon for the sunset. With a few of the shallow ponds just starting to ice over, the light attached itself beautifully. Some light patches of snow on the tundra did the same.
Earlier in the day a polar bear lurking along the coast, spotted by another group, vanished by the time Karen and travelers arrived. A group of seven ptarmigans picking buds off the willow bushes were sporting full white plumage…seemingly somewhat early for them at this time. Another group of about 30 ptarmigan flew quite a ways along the lake while gliding above the willows, then finally settled down in the bushes. “Interesting and beautiful.”; noted Karen..adding she had never seen such a large group nor had she observed such extended flight for birds that tend to prefer the ground this time of year.
Natural Habitat guides Melissa and Justin’s groups spent the evening on the tundra and caught glimpses of a polar bear in and out of the willows. they returned the next morning to see the bear peacefully sleeping by the lodge.
More polar bears in the distance out at Gordon Point were seen lumbering along the kelp strewn beach.
The highlight of the day was a bearded seal up on the rocks nearly three hours before low tide, so Karen surmised the seal would be on the rocks for at least another six hours. Parked in a perfect spot for viewing, the group observed from the rover for awhile, hoping for a bear-seal encounter. After about an hour, Val ,the rover driver, spotted a bear walking around the edge of the bay from the east heading toward the group. It was on the move the whole time, but unfortunately, continued on toward the Northern Studies Center to the south-east. Bear bangers were fired into the air to keep the bear moving and he finally hunkered down in the willows & eventually wandered toward Camp Nanook. Then just as the group was about to leave they spotted another bear (at a distance) walking from the south toward the coast. After watching intently for a good amount of time, the polar bear finally lay down in some grass and slept.
Back near the lodge, the bear sleeping by the propane tank got up and moved further away until out of sight. The group drove back across Christmas Lake Esker, finding some more ptarmigan, before heading back to launch.
This early part of the season sometimes has fewer bear encounters though the ones that are discovered can be quite surprising and exciting occurrences.
The season is here and excitement is building in Churchill. We are looking forward to more exclusive video footage like this clip from Natural Habitat guide Brad Josephs guiding a group last year. We will have all the updates from Churchill here throughout the next month and a half so keep checking in. Everything about Churchill and the amazing wildlife around the region can be found here year round.
Polar bear season 2014 is almost underway and polar bears and other Arctic animals are awaiting the throngs of travelers heading to the Hudson Bay coast. Churchill is awaiting once again. Stay close to the action with detailed reports from the Churchill region and the Churchill wildlife Management Area via information from Natural Habitat guides in Churchill for the season. We will keep you informed of all the latest wildlife and people stories from Churchill this season highlighted with photo’s and video from the tundra and surrounding area. Like our Face Book page so you can easily link to churchill.fru.qa. It’s going to be a wild season.
Omintrax Canada’s plan to move a test shipment of Alberta crude oil through northern Manitoba to the Port of Churchill next month has been put on hold by Manitoba Transportation Minister Steve Ashton. It’s a harsh blow to the company’s hopes to move nearly 3.3 million barrels of crude through the port as early as next year.
Shipping oil over the Hudson Bay is a new avenue for growth harboring hopes to expand Churchill’s role as an Arctic gateway.
However, apparently Mr. Ashton is seeing beyond the potential economic benefits to the area and port itself and erring quite wisely on the side of caution on this issue. The Hudson Bay is an extremely sensitive ecosystem that also has current economic and life sustaining benefits to all the communities that reside on its’ fragile coastline. One tragic accident could destroy the Hudson Bay and all the creatures that rely on the body of water for life itself for decades to come. A comprehensive study and subsequent operating plan must be in place before one drop of oil is shipped via this new proposal. Currently some oil is shipped north on barges to sustain Nunuvut communities but in no comparison to the amounts being projected in this international endeavor.
Proponents of the plan stress that oil is already shipped all over the continent by rail, truck and pipeline, and far more dangerous goods have moved regularly on the line for decades. However, shipping over land is far less dangerous and risky than transporting over water…especially so for water that is regularly in the 42 degree F temperature range. Couple that with weather that is unpredictable and harsh much of the year and a clean-up mission in these conditions would be nearly impossible.
Mr. Ashton advised Omnitrax to “go back to the drawing board on this,” holding some hope for the company to be able to explore options in the future. In this case the risk of any oil being transported over the bay seems insurmountable.
The Wilderness Committee interpreted Mr. Ashton’s comments as a rejection of Omnitrax’s plans and issued a statement Friday congratulating the Selinger government for offering “exactly the response we were hoping for.” As far as they are concerned, the plan is dead.
Lac-Megantic burning on the first day after the rail car derailment sent fireballs and streams of burning oil coursing through the Quebec village. (Photo: Surete du Quebec)
Omnitrax is convinced its’ northern rail lines don’t need upgrades to carry oil and the idea of shipping the liquid across the tundra is safe. This opinion flies directly in the face of the numerous grain car derailments that have occurred over the past two decades on those exact lines…at least the birds and some other animals can eat grain when it spills. Although federal approval for the rail shipping plan is required since railways are federally regulated, provincial opposition could be a barrier for such approval.
Churchill’s prime polar bear season is “barely” a month away and polar bears are already congregating in the region around this hearty frontier town on the rocky shores of the Hudson Bay. Here are some recent photo’s from Churchillian Jodi Grosbrink…soon the landscape will take on a quite different look. Winter is lurking to the north. Keep up with all the action in and around Churchill this October/November with our daily postings from the area. Natural Habitat Adventures guides will be supplying fresh video of amazing polar bear behavior as well as other incredible scenes from the north. Should be another exciting season!
Famed wildlife photographer and artist Robert Taylor passed on at age 73 at Winnipeg’s St Boniface Hospital following a bout with cancer.
Taylor was best known for his images of Manitoba polar bears, great gray owls and prairie bison. Churchill’s polar bear shots built a foundation for early polar bear awareness and ecotourism encounters in the region. The amazing unique photographs of polar bears and other Arctic animals captured the imagination of people in the South and soon the annual “polar bear season” in October and November was born. Since those early days, Churchill now draws thousands of people in search of the serenity of spending precious moments with one of the world’s most alluring animals…the polar bear.
Taylor was well know for his frequent donations of his time and images throughout his life and photographs he took were published in books such as The Manitoba Landscape-A Visual Symphony, The Edge of the Arctic: Churchill and the Hudson Bay Lowlands, The Great Gray Owl: On Silent Wings, and Manitoba: Seasons of Beauty. Taylor received the Order of the Buffalo Hunt from Premier Greg Selinger nine days before he died. The award is bestowed on individuals who demonstrate outstanding skills in leadership, service and community commitment. A fine achievement for a dedicated man.
Taylor had previously been honoured with a fellowship in the Professional Photographers Association of Manitoba, a Master of Photographic Arts from the Professional Photographers of Canada and was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
The Edge of the Arctic by Taylor was a invaluable teaching staple for any guide cutting his or her teeth in the profession of bringing the feel and secrets of the Arctic to travelers. An accomplished carver, Taylor also was instrumental in establishing the Prairie Canada Carvers Association nearly 27 years ago.
Back near the lodge, the bear sleeping by the propane tank got up and moved further away until out of sight. The group drove back across Christmas Lake Esker, finding some more ptarmigan, before heading back to launch.
