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Trip Report

I've been coming to Churchill, Manitoba for over fifteen years now and 2005 was a year I'll never forget. It was the first experience I've ever had along Hudson Bay in the month of November where there wasn't a cube of ice in the waters offshore. When I arrived there was a skiff of snow on the ground but no ice as far as the eye could see. The bears were most definitely not going anywhere soon, I predicted. The week prior to my arrival was filled with stories of polar bears hunting and catching seals just near Tundra Buggy Lodge out at Gordon Point. This is becoming quite a common occurrence in the past few Churchill adventures. Before 1998 I had never heard of anyone seeing such behavior let alone documenting it on camera and yet this season I spoke to numerous folks who where there to capture this amazing event of nature.

As we made our way out to the lodge it was obvious we wouldn't make it out to Cape Churchill during the first part of the trip for sure. Due to the warmer temperatures the ground was not frozen solid enough to make the journey. Unfortunately this possibility exists in the current state of a warming climate. Even so, the photo opportunities at Gordon Point have never disappointed me. We had a couple of mothers and cubs and there were several sub adult males that put on a constant wrestling show from the day we arrived. Along with the bears I saw more arctic hares than I've seen in all the fifteen years combined that I've been coming to Churchill. There were numerous sightings of polar bears catching seals along the edge of the bay and the arctic fox followed them at will feeding on any scraps they left behind. All in all it was another good year to view polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba.