by Steve Selden | Nov 7, 2012 | Tour News
Well, the changes in the weather in Churchill have truly made polar bear season feel more real…or at least what most people envision when thinking of polar bears and the north. It’s pretty much like clockwork…when Halloween comes, so does the cold and snow. Spending 12 seasons in Churchill gives one a sort of internal feel for the weather and its’ nuances. Most of October is fairly calm with temperatures consistently around freezing and as the month turns anything goes ..and it usually does.
This past week Karen and her Natural Habitat group arrived in Churchill to find beautiful blue sky. It was cold with a calm wind and a light layer of new snow crystals on the ground that shimmered in the sunshine appearing like diamonds across the land.
Sleeping bear on the tundra in the CWMA. Brad Josephs photo.
Before even reaching town excitement flooded the bus with some news from another guide. “We heard about some “pizzas” (code words for polar bears used over radio communication between staff) near Miss Piggy, so we took the Coast Road on our way into town. It turned out to be a sow and her two one and a half year- old cubs laying in the Canadian Shield rocky formation.”, reported Karen. They lifted their heads up and gave glances toward the thrilled travelers.. What start to the trip to the north.
A view across the calm Hudson Bay from the stone inukshuk behind the complex allowed the group to get their bearings before an orientation by Karen on polar bear biology and the Churchill area.
A polar bear walks along the rocks in Churchill.
The following day it was off to the Churchill Wildlife Management Area to take in the landscape and hopefully some wildlife activity including some polar bears. Within just fifteen minutes from launch a bear was spotted sleeping near the willows. As the rover moved closer the bear raised its’ nose to sniff the scent several times. Three brilliant white ptarmigan were running along the tundra in the same area and the Arctic was revealing itself to the new guests.
Out at Gordon Point the group was enjoying morning coffee and tea and a rock near the coast turned into a sleeping bear…caffeine will do that every time! Since the edge of the bay is beginning to freeze, bears will rest close to the forming ice almost as if they are willing the water to freeze faster. This particular animal rolled around on the ice and snow seemingly quite content to see at least some progress.
Continuing along the rugged coast with red and gold seaweed strewn between ice covered rocks, a couple of bears were foraging the kelp beds….possibly hoping to find some morsels of some kind washed ashore in last week’s storm. “Their noses were all brown from rummaging in the seaweed. One of them came over to visit us under the back deck.” Travelers took turns having their feet inches from a polar bears nose. Just one of the things to do out on the tundra. After lunch, not far from that location, another bear came over for a visit and also sniffed some boots from under the back observation platform. Some great encounters that will be remembered always.
That night in town the group was treated to a special concert by the Fiddlestix band. A teacher in the school, Joanne Stover, started teaching herself and some kids how to play the fiddle six years ago. They travel to a couple of jamborees throughout the year to learn more about fiddling. The concert was held by the large wooden polar bear slide inside the town complex. Four kids (ages 14-17) performed, along with Joanne, and they were accompanied by a guitar player. “They played fun jigs and reels, so it was entertaining to listen to. It was also great to meet the kids & learn more about the music program in a remote community.” stated Karen. Many of the guests also went down the polar bear slide, then toured the complex to see the hockey rink, swimming pool, playground and library.A nice exposure to the activity center for this remote, frontier town on the Hudson Bay.
by Steve Selden | Nov 6, 2012 | Churchill Photography
Hey everyone …here are some of the best pics so far this season. We still have a few weeks to go so stay tuned for more daily reports and video clips forthcoming.
Two polar bears practicing their dance moves. Photo Eric Rock
A polar bear frolic’s on the tundra. Rick Pepin photo.
A red fox stoically patrols the tundra. Brad Josephs photo.
Two polar bears sparring on the snowy tundra. Rick Pepin photo.
An Arctic hare nestled in the precambrian shield. Sandra Elvin photo
by Steve Selden | Nov 3, 2012 | Churchill News, Tour News
The past week in Churchill has seen dropping temperatures..currently just 12degrees F…and snow accumulations across the tundra. The gray of the clouds and white blanket of snow across the tundra covered the reds and yellows of the land..buried until Spring.
Guide Karen Walker and her travelers were out again on the land in the CWMA when they came upon an Explore.org rover with crew filming video. As Karen’s group arrived, Explore.org departed and the polar bear they had been filming became curious and approached the rover. A sub-adult female with a “beautiful face”, according to Karen, she moved to a position right under the back deck. The bear spent quite a bit of time under the deck sniffing many boots and laid down next to the rover as lunch was served….to the people that is..not the bear.
In the meantime, a very dark, nearly black cross fox made a brief appearance gliding through the blowing mist of snow….then vanished. The young, female polar bear moved off and another bear popped out of the willows. Perhaps attracted by the delicious -smelling soup, he had his nose up in the air searching for the scent -trail. finally he bee-lined right to their rover. Standing against the rover and peered in at the soup-slurping humans…what an amazing experience…probably for the bear too…would’ve been better if he got some soup I suppose. As the rover motored back toward launch, a glowing -red fox appeared nearby.
A red fox in the grasses stands out in the first snow of the season. Brad Josephs photo
Karen and travelers were guided on tour around Churchill Friday. Rhonda, local tour guide and Churchill Summer guide gave a complete overview of Churchill’s history and culture peppered with ample funny stories. It was a very blustery day, with roughly 50km winds. “My gung-ho group all bundled up and went for a view at Cape Merry. The Parks Canada rangers, Duane & Dave, were amazed that the whole group went out in that Arctic weather. ” mused Karen. The freezing rain was freezing on jackets and the bus windows, so we had to constantly scrape them off. The waves were crashing along the shore of Hudson Bay. All these effects gave a good sense of northern living. …quite harsh.
“We toured the port & the Town Complex. A high school volleyball tournament was going on with the kids from down the rail line, so it was busy around the complex & restaurants. We visited the Polar Bear Holding Facility on our way out of town for our night rover. ” added Karen.
On Saturday, some guests went on a helicopter journey over the tundra in the CWMA and Wapusk National Parc and had excellent moose and several polar bear sightings. The overview of the land is simply incredible with scattered thermakarsts and patterned ground. I highly recommend a tour through Hudson Bay Helicopters to round out a complete perception of the geography. Seeing wildlife from that vantage point also will be a lasting memory.
Later in the morning the group went out to the marina and observation tower for a beautiful view of the river. Winter has set in, and freezing rain had an adverse effect on the electrical lines, forcing the town’s power out for a few minutes at 1pm, so the group had to hurry to an earlier lunch, in order to get their orders in while the Seaport’s kitchen still had lights. One of the small foibles that gives the remote town of Churchill its’ character.
At the outset of the Arctic adventure for
Natural Habitat guide Sandra Elvin and her group, wildlife activity was somewhat sparse though great for those moments when the animals appeared. “Our first rover day had three snowy owl sightings, two gyrfalcons, a silver phase red fox, a red fox, ptarmigans and plovers, and six polar bears”, reported Sandra….oh..and an Arctic partridge in a pear tree. Not too sparse really.
Two sparring males stay tuned -up for the ensuing seal hunting season. Brad Josephs photo.
Two sets of the bears were sparring, and the group observed one bear roam in from a far distance. That particular bear came in from a spit of land out in the Hudson Bay considered a
polar bear resting area to join in the action.
A polar bear is lifted via helicopter from the holding facility.
On their second day on the rover in the CWMA, a red fox crossed their path on the way to the launch, and later two more foxes revealed their rusty coats throughout the day. “We were lucky to see two different sets of sparring bears -four bears total-, and two gyrfalcons chasing a smaller bird, catching it and devouring it in no time at all.” reported Sandra. This was truly an amazing, rare sighting!
Action continued on an evening night rover tour as a large male polar bear nearby the lodge. Earlier in the evening a sow with two cubs came into view from a distance. Since there have not been a plethora of these sightings this season, this group was very excited to see the family unit.
Excitement gripped Churchill on the group’s final morning as a polar bear was on the north of town near the Brian Ladoon’s stone “castle” hotel. Sandra and travelers were first to come upon the animal and called in to
Polar Bear Alert. The group followed the conservation officers and watched their “cowboy” attempt to control the bear. As the group headed out of town for their journey home they were just in time arriving at the polar bear holding compound to see two bears being flown northwest just before our catching a flight back to Winnipeg. All in a days work ..tracking polar bears in Churchill!
by Steve Selden | Oct 31, 2012 | Tour News
This might be the one time of the year -October and November- when just about everyone in Churchill, including the local Churchillians hope for snow and cold. The rest of winter nobody really needs to hope since both come in ample portions. However, polar bear season really needs both. Polar bears just seem so much more…well, uh..polar when they are surrounded by the white stuff. And colder temperatures allow their heavy, fur insulated bodies to just let loose and move around without heating up and feeling lethargic. In fact most of the wildlife in the region tends to perk up a little whenever the “winter” feel arrives. This past week, the weather has changed dramatically with temperatures in the 20’s F and snow has arrived brought in by both northerly and easterly winds.
Inukshuk overlooking the Hudson Bay greets the north winds of winter. Shot in darkness with moonlight. Brad Josephs photo.
Natural Habitat guide Lynette and her group came face to face with Dancer, long time polar bear czar of the CWMA, behind their rover near the lodge. Indifferent to the travelers as he has been around so many over the years, he made a cameo appearance under the grated back deck to give thrills to people never imagining to get this near a polar bear. His foggy breath wafted up through the ironwork and settled on guests sorrels. Soon after the willows beckoned and off he went. A few other bears were lounging around just starting to get some energy from the cooling winds.
Polar bear coming face to face with avid travelers. Brad Josephs photo.
“We headed out toward Gordon Point and were face to face with a snowy owl seeking some shelter from the howling wind. Even though the wind was blowing, the sun was really shining…it was a gorgeous afternoon and we even saw a
double rainbow. we all proceeded to do our best “double rainbow” impression. Hilarious. A whole rover of people yelling double rainbow. Maybe you had to be there?” reported Lynnette. The magic of the tundra and the north!
“We also saw an arctic hare doing what they do, hunched up against a rock, pretending that they can’t be seen. The funny thing was that this hare was only a few feet from the lapping waters of the bay. The tide was going out, but still….it was a strange sight. I think Elise’s group saw it first and gave us the head’s up about it.” continued Lynnette. the Arctic reveals all kinds of surprises if you give it enough time. Perhaps the hare was contemplating a swim….on the cusp of an evolutionary discovery.
Guide Brad Josephs and his
Natural Habitat photography group was at Gordon Point the following day and discovered a white gyrfalcon guarding the coastal lowlands. Then a young curious, female bear spent some quality time quite close to the rover and allowed photographers ample views and opportunities for great shots. She then cruised along the coast while stopping to eat kelp along the way.
Later, further out on the land..more inland .. a beautiful male snowy appeared near first tower atop a black dwarfed spruce tree then down on the land.
Gyr falcon surveys the tundra looking for prey. Brad Josephs photo.
Later on the group came upon a large, scarred up male crossing the newly frozen ponds, walking with a wide stance in areas of thin ice. Apparently some sparring became a little intense. Some bears take this ritual to another level and blood is drawn. Luckily this guys scars were able to heal up without causing much harm.
Back in town off the tundra, Brad led his guests down by the port along the Churchill River just in time to photograph an amazing sunset. As the sun sank across river an awesome beam of orange shot upward into the sky. Ice crystals suspended in the air are a common cause of these strange sunlight effects in the north.
Amazing sunset across the Churchill River. Brad Josephs Photo.
Not to be outdone, as darkness descended, a moody full moon rose through a purple sky above the shadowy curving outline of the
precambrian shield beyond the vast Hudson Bay. A red fox weaving its’ way along the bluffs checked out the group to put a cap on an amazing day. As an encore everyone went behind the town complex and photographed the immense stone
inukshuk in the moonlight overlooking the bay.
Bonnie’s Bird Report
“The birds are leaving. The past four days we saw, lots of Rock Ptarmigan, a snowy owl, a white phase and a grey gyrfalcon, black-bellied plovers, a white-rumped sandpiper, a few dunlin, there are still some snow buntings around.Cheers,Bonnie”
by Steve Selden | Oct 28, 2012 | Churchill News, Tour News
When Natural Habitat guide Karen Walker and group arrived in Churchill this past week they found clear blue skies, no wind and calm waters. That scenario is changing as this post is being published. For all the polar bear watchers out there that is good news. As many travelers do upon arriving in Churchill, the group followed the coast road out around the inlet across from Miss Piggy taking in the amazing Hudson Bay vastness. Arriving back in town they stopped at the large Inukshuk on the beach behind the town complex for another view out over the calm bay slapping waves against the shore. After lunch ,desserts and a taste of local flavor at Gypsy’s, they checked into the hotel and headed over to Parcs Canada Visitor Center for an orientation to the polar bear world and regional geographic and cultural features. Karen added her orientation thoughts to a fantastic presentation by well-known Raymond’s from Parcs presentation. Peter and Mary rounded out a full afternoon of northern exposure!
Two polar bears spar in front of a pond, Brad Josephs photo,
After dinner, stars were in the northern sky so the avid bunch headed out behind the complex once again to find a faint arch or northern lights fairly low on the horizon. It was a nice evening along the shores of Hudson Bay. About 45 minutes later, the arch brightened significantly and began to form a swirling motion seemingly mimicking the counter-clockwise currents of the tumultuous Hudson Bay. Nothing can match the experience of these lights of the north!
As morning came the group headed to the tundra and immediately spotted a pair of ptarmigan in the willows heading out to the lodge. Four bears were in the area and soon after arrival some sparring ensued just off the tail end of the rover. “We had a bear come up to our rover. Then we headed out the point a ways and watched a couple of bears wander off into the willows along the ponds.” reported guide Karen. ” I gave an intro to polar bears, then suddenly one, no two bears, appeared from the willows & headed right toward us. We were visited by the bears & had them under the deck. They never stood up on our rover or sniffed the deck, but it was still awesome to look them in the eye.” Another unforgettable memory.
Once the two polar bears headed off, lunch was served. just as most had finished, they appeared again. Perfect timing! With beautiful views of the colorful yellow and red tundra the bears lingered near the rover during the morning as big snow flakes started to fly … some even found their way into the rover when the windows were down. A preview of the imminent snow in the forecast. On the trip back to launch-site, a offshoot voyage to Halfway Point provided an amazing view of a puffy, white snowy owl. What a way to complete an incredible day in the CWMA.
Snowy owl checking out the humans. Candice Gaukel Andrews photo.
The group staying on the tundra lodge with guide Rinnie had incredible sparring after some docile, napping bears the first couple of days. The sunlight accentuated the movement as the bears grappled right next to viewing platforms. Later as the rover ventured away from the lodge, a sow with two yearlings – first sightings of the season- came right up to the machine two different times. With no other rover in sight, this encounter made the trip for many of the guests. Back at the lodge in the evening…stellar aurora borealis graced the skies above…a perfect day and night on the tundra lodge.
Guide Elise and her travelers were near the lodge most of that same day as the wind blew snow squalls sideways. Sparring bears continued to battle while taking rests and then resuming nearly all day. One bear had an injured claw and spewed blood on white fur adding to the drama. Exciting action as the snow moves in across the region.
EARLY SEASON BIRD REPORT
Bonnie Chartier spends most of polar bear season out at the tundra lodge with travelers eager to get amazing round the clock views of polar bears. However, Bonnie also is one of the premier experts on Arctic birdlife. She has literally written a book called “A Birders Guide to Churchill ” and continues her research on the numerous species that call Churchill home for all or part of the year. Here’s her report of sightings out in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area (CWMA). Some of these species have most likely made their way south by now..but for the birders in the crowd here’s the skinny:
“In the past few days we had at least 6 different Snowy Owls. Also well photographed was a single white Gyrfalcon. Rock Ptarmigan are being seen in good size flocks. Shore birds include Pectoral Sandpipers, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers. Snow buntings are still around in good numbers. There are Canada Geese, Common Eider, Long-tailed Ducks and a few Red-breasted Mergansers still hanging about. I saw only one greater Yellowlegs. ”
If there are any species still out on the tundra Bonnie will find them. Stay tuned for another mid-season update!
by Steve Selden | Oct 25, 2012 | Tour News
Sometimes Churchill can seem a million miles away. Weather in Winnipeg and Churchill this time of year …any time of the year for that matter….can be an adventure in its’ own right. Unpredictable at the very least. For Natural Habitat Adventures guide Karen Walker and group it surely felt like that as they were delayed leaving Winnipeg for a few hours before finally arriving in Churchill.
After arriving in the polar bear capital, the group had a relaxing meal and then witnessed the amazing drum dance with Peter and Mary …a unique Inuit cultural experience in an intimate setting inside a upik..or tee-pee structure. A perfect way to ease into “tundra time” as we call the slow, relaxing pace of the north.
polar bear aware of a rover. Colby Brokvist photo.
On their first day out on the land a distant snowy owl greeted the group out at Gordon Point aboard their polar rover. Travelers got last glimpses of reddish tinted seaweed and golden tundra along the coast before becoming buried for the winter and morphed with the rest of the landscape into whites and grays. Later, along willow and spruce sheltered Ptarmigan Alley, a large male rested and stretched periodically. Lifting his head to size up the rover and guests gave everyone a nice taste of the polar bear’s life…nice way to start the trip. Another bear at the lodge walked out north towards the point while three others lounged around near the lodge. Every so often they would roll, stretch and become a little playful. very cool.
Sentinel snowy owl on the tundra near Churchill. Photo Colby Brokvist.
The following day another darker, juvenile snowy owl greeted the group as well. Seems to be quite a few “snowy’s” around this year..maybe this is their cycle year…such majestic animals. A half dozen bruins…a hockey team…were spread out around the area near the lodge. Mostly resting and stretching until some sparring started up…gloves off. The display started under the lodge then moved to the front where all travelers had great views. Ptarmigan scurried…or waddled..off into the willows bringing smiles to all.
A final day trip to the Eskimo museum gave all an excellent background on the intermingled cultures of local tribes as well as Thule, Dorset and Pre-Dorset history. All of these peoples played major roles in forming the feel and infrastructure of this incredible region. Some are ghosts..some are still with us…continuing to form the Arctic.
A polar bear leans against a rover.
A trip up to Cape Merry gave people a chance to observe the tundra up close and search the water of the Churchill River for beluga whales that some folks had spotted within the past week. It’s a bit late and I have not heard of whales staying south this long for a good while now. Most years belugas head north to the Hudson Straits area in the northeast by mid-September in order to beat any ice formation in the Hudson Bay. If the whales can’t make it back to the open -water polynas of the straits they will perish by being trapped under the ice. the Straits have open water due to currents that do not allow ice formation. Whales use these polynas to breath in the winter. As the group was leaving the cape, a beautiful, glimmering silver fox came right up to the bus….looking right into everyone’s eyes. He then hopped up on the boardwalk and greeted another group at very close range.
The polar bear holding facility has a live -set trap right by the informational panels. Kind of a strange spot for such a thing. No travelers have been captured yet. It’s only a matter of time I’m sure…probably a photographer.
A final night out on the tundra produced inquisitive polar bears at the lodge. Three different groups were graced with bears coming right up to the machines and sniffing under the grated back deck or leaning up on the side of the rover. Natural Habitat guides Colby and Sue both had bears greeting their guests and then a big male came to Karens’ rover and sat next to the group for a good 15 minutes and then walked under the deck ….never standing to sniff boots but still thrilling for all the guests to have the animal separated by only a half inch of steel. As the wine and cheese was broken out and darkness set in, one polar bear did stand up and leaned against the window giving some guests another amazing thrill of a lifetime. Sparring and bears coming and going in the shadows made for a most memorable experience for all.
Guide Colby Brokvist has had some great bear activity on the land for his group of travelers to marvel over. Most recently as they ventured out in their rover, they made their way to Christmas Lake Esker where unfortunately not much was happening in the wildlife realm. Fortunes turned however as other guides radioed over to Colby’s driver that aa sow with two yearling cubs were way out toward second tower. They made swift pace over to the area and were rewarded with the sightings and then the cubs sparring playfully at perfect distance for photo’s and general viewing all while eating a nice lunch. An immature snowy owl out by the old Inuit stone kayak racks and five or so black bellied plovers splashed around in the tidal flats on the coast. Seeing all the Arctic wildlife together enhances the experience..you can get a better sense of the survival urgency when observing multiple life forms moving around in this environment at the same time.
POLICE BLOTTER
Currently the polar bear holding facility…Jail to locals…has seven polar bears.
18 bears have been reported as threats during that past week.
A total of 95 bears have been reported to date this year.
No bears have been officially flown out though polarbearalley.com has reported that Animal Planet may have arranged and paid for an evacuation flight.
