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The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum Presents:

Polar Bears of Churchill by Harold & Paula Ables

If you want to see a real bear hug, head up to Churchill Manitoba this fall.

We joined the Victor Emanuel Nature Tours trip last fall (29Oct – 4 Nov 2006) and got to see lots of Polar Bears hugging, wrestling, slithering, sleeping, nursing and playing while waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze and put the ringed seals within their reach for their first substantial meal in several months. This extraordinary trip officially began with our arrival in Winnipeg and the get acquainted dinner at the Hilton Airport Hotel with the other 16 members of our group. The next morning we flew to Churchill on Calm Air’s twin prop plane and, amazingly, the flight lived up to the airlines name.

Arrival at Churchill Airport

The remainder of the day was spent exploring the small town of Churchill and it surroundings both by bus and on foot. We had our first view of the Hudson Bay on the north edge of town where the Polar Bear warning signs certainly captured our attention.

Sign next to the path on which we were walking!

During our tour we awakened a magnificent Arctic Fox that was sleeping in the rocks next to the shore

and were treated to a mighty yawn

and a refreshing stretch! Farther on we had spectacular views of a quite friendly Red Fox

After breakfast for the next three days we were shuttled by bus from our rustic but comfortable Tundra Inn in downtown Churchill to the Tundra Buggy boarding facility some 18 miles from town. There we exited the bus onto the gated steps of the boarding platform for the Tundra Buggies. Everything is arranged to keep you out of the grasp of hungry Polar Bears. This seemed a little overly cautious to us until the last morning when it was discovered just as we arrived by bus that two Polar Bears were in the garbage truck next to the boarding platform. There was a great deal of excitement for a few minutes until the Polar Bears decided to vacate the premises and ran like mad across a frozen pond and into the wilderness. Only then were we allowed out of the bus.

Our Tundra Buggy had seating for about 30 and since our group was only 18, we were quite comfortable.

The Tundra Buggies have a propane heater in the rear, an adequate toilet, and ours was well provisioned with drinks, pastries, hot soup, sandwiches and cookies. Windows at the seats slide down and there is a rear viewing deck for unobstructed viewing and photography, although blowing snow occasionally caused problems. Some of our images were taken with snow melt running down the front surface of our Canon lenses! Once you board the Tundra Buggy, you don’t leave it until late afternoon when it returns to the boarding facility. Otherwise, you may become a snack for a hungry Polar Bear.

The Tundra Buggies have 5 ½ -foot diameter tires which allow them to be driven over most of the terrain along and south of the Hudson Bay coast east of Churchill. They are also high enough to prevent a Polar Bear from taking a hand-out, literally.

The buggies are required to and usually do follow the original trails, if you can call them that, made by the United States and Canadian military during the 1960s & 1970s. This often involves plowing into bodies of water which to newcomers is quite frightening .

There is a reason the Polar Bears congregate in this region in late fall. The fresh water from the Churchill River west of Churchill mixed with the Hudson Bay salt water flows along the coast in this area and freezes sooner than other parts of the Hudson Bay. The Polar Bears know that this coastline offers the first icepack which they need for hunting seals. While we were there ice along the coastline had not yet formed but the Polar Bears were clearly anticipating it.

This Polar Bear is yearning for the Bay to freeze.

The following images show some of the wonderful sights we saw during our three days on the tundra.

A Polar Bear relatively free of kelp stains

Polar Bears sparring in a snow storm

According to our Driver/Guide, Glenn Hopfner, a sow nursing a cub is a very rare sight to see. We were especially lucky as the next image shows.

Some Polar Bears spar …

…some immodestly…

..while others sleep in kelp beds

A pillow is where you find it! Another Tundra Buggy & the Tundra Buggy Lodge

Willow Ptarmigan in the boreal forest

Interested in our lunch or us

Boxing

Wrestling

Slithering – the technique used to catch seals or in this case to surprise your sparring partner

At the end of our Churchill visit we flew back to Winnipeg for a night at the Hilton and then departed for home the next morning.

For anyone planning a trip to see the Polar Bears of Churchill, we recommend reading the book, Tales From The Tundra, by Glenn Hopfner. This book explains in detail Tundra Buggy touring and we believe would add enjoyment to your trip.

For additional images from our trip, visit www.IMAGESbyABLES.com

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