Grizzly Bears of the Great Bear Rainforest

Today’s entry features a look back to last September and one of my all-time wildlife highlights. We timed our trip to Western Canada to coincide with the salmon run, in the hope of seeing some bears catching salmon. Lucky for us, this paid off big time!

We had a truly unforgettable day out from Campbell River on Vancouver Island with Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours in search of the elusive grizzly bears in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest.

The day began with a two-hour boat ride through the Salish Sea along the coast of Vancouver Island, its surrounding islands and the mainland, passing some spectacular and beautiful scenery, with the endless forests and coastal inlets stretching as far as the eye could see.

The excitement and anticipation was palpable as we neared our destination of the Bute Inlet, only increasing as humpback whales and steller sea lions were spotted from the boat.

This steller sea lion looked particularly unimpressed as we passed by the buoy he was resting on!

Upon arrival at the tiny harbour at the edge of the rainforest we were greeted with the warmest of welcomes by the native guides. Kalvin was the guide for our small group, and after a safety briefing we set off in a couple of rickety old minibuses along rough tracks into the forest to begin the search for the elusive χawgəs, or grizzly bear. The damp and drizzly weather did nothing to dampen our spirits as we all eagerly peered into the forest in the hope of catching a glimpse of a bear. Kalvin kept us entertained and well informed about the history of the area and the wildlife, and soon gave me the nickname Bazooka Joe, in honour of the somewhat oversized 500mm lens I was wielding!

Every few minutes we would disembark and climb the steps up to one of the wooden viewing platforms, especially built to hopefully see bears from the safety of an enclosed tower. Minutes would pass by and the anticipation would build, but still no bears…

Finally, from the minibus we caught a brief glimpse of a bear in the distance along the river. Pulses were racing and excitement was peaking, but as amazing as it was, it was quite distant, and I was really hoping for a closer encounter to get the photographs I was so hoping for.

Eventually, we stopped at a bend on the river and were ushered to quietly stand on the river bank. Kalvin had spotted the same bear again in the distance, and correctly predicted the direction she would take. Unbelievably, that direction was along the river, directly towards us!

We quickly realised just how special an encounter this was about to become, when out of the undergrowth emerged a young bear, following its mother along the edge of the river in our direction.

With the abundant salmon congregating at the bend in the river where we stood, the bears made a bee-line for the area of river right in front of us, then started to catch and devour salmon.

At this point I realised the big 500mm lens was overkill! Time to very carefully and quietly swap to the 100-400mm.

A bucket-list moment. Wild grizzlies tucking in to freshly-caught salmon.

The deftness and accuracy of the bears as they swiped salmon from the water was so impressive to see. You would not want to be on the wrong end of those claws!

I was surprised just how big the salmon were, but they were nothing compared to the size of a fully grown grizzly bear!

Crouched on the river bank rather than being high up in one of the viewing towers meant for a wonderful eye-level view of bears.

The adult mother remained in the middle of the river, repeatedly catching salmon for herself and the youngster.

After twenty minutes or so the bears had had their fill and started to move on further along the river, the cub giving us a parting glance as they moved off.

As both bears moved away into the distance, it was time to let the heartbeat settle and to let the amazing, natural, spectacle that we’d just witnessed sink in.

This bald eagle waited patiently in tree above the river, no doubt hoping for scraps of salmon after the bears had fed.

Me in my element - a dream come true encounter!

All too soon it was time to head back to the boat for the return trip back to Campbell River. What a day it had been!

Seeing these majestic wild animals catching salmon in the rivers was the realisation of a dream for me, and it was a privilege to be hosted, entertained and educated by the Homalco people for whom this land is home.