Polar Bears!
When you see a Polar Bear in its wild, natural setting something comes over you. You forget your annoying facemask, stiff limbs from waiting, and the cold – nothing else matters. I lost count, but thankfully someone in our wonderful group of 15, kept track . . . we have had 21 bear sightings during our two days on the tundra with Nat Hab!
Today we watched bears amble across the snow, spar with one another, sleep in the willow, forage among the kelp along the shore of Hudson Bay, and come check us out in our Great White Bear Polar Rover.
Fate has thrown us together with 13 very compatible, interesting fellow bear-lovers on this adventure. All guided by Katrina who has kept us on track, educated, and entertained every step of the way. I will go into more detail about the many other quirky, unique, and interesting experiences we’ve had on our trip in a follow-up post.
These trips only run for six weeks in the fall, while the bears are transitioning back to the ice that will soon form on Hudson Bay. Once there, they will resume seal-hunting and fatten-up, regaining the 30% of their weight lost since the ice melted last June. A big percentage of the world’s Polar Bears, 850-950, return to this region annually and when they arrive fat and happy, males can be as large as 1,500 lbs, with females about half that size. Their paws are about 12” and when we weren’t seeing bears, we were seeing their tracks everywhere in the fresh snow.
At the end of the day, we were honored to see another female with her COY (cub of the year). The duo stayed some distance and the mother seemed a bit tentative, maybe she could smell a male somewhere nearby. A male would be a big threat and will kill unrelated cubs. We only saw single cubs and sightings of multiple births have not been seen as frequently as in the past. Cubs stay with their mother for up to two and a half years, resulting in males like we spotted yesterday, that can be as large as their mother.
It was another amazing day.
They are so adorable. I have seen a Polar Bear ..Hudson Bay ..I should go there to see these bears.
So amazing! Happy you are getting to see so many of them!
One of my dream destinations!
You will love it!!
I’m spoiled! I used to sleep late, but now I can’t wait to get up and read the latest installment of “The Travels of Fred and Karen.” Can’t wait to see all the pictures and hear all the stories. Maybe a pod cast?
It sounds like you all are having a wonderful time, wish I was there.
Oh, how wonderful! Not only did you get to see them, but you share the experience with us! Thank you.
Amazing creatures. I saw a couple of them in Utqiagvik, Alaska many years ago.
I am so enjoying your fabulous trip and all the wonderful up close pics of the adorable polar bears. The curious one’s sweet and inquisitive face makes me smile! Thank you for sharing such a fabulous trip with all of us!
Sue
Great pictures, Karen, Thanks!
What a fantastic thing to see these bears. I love your photos. I worry about these bears with climate change and so it was doubly nice to see your views of them.
Thank you for visiting my site! I’d read a lot about Polar Bears, but seeing them in their environment was incredible. Hopefully, they will adapt.
wow, polar bears!