Close Encounters of the Polar Bear Kind‏

Greetings All,
Our visit to Churchill to see the Polar bears is coming to an end. We've had some wonderfully close yet safe encounters with polar bears. It's great being in the warm and elevated Polar Rover observing wild polar bears just feet away.

Yesterday, we saw a mother with two yearling cubs cross the road.

Cubs are becoming a rare site in Churchill. I'm not sure if it's because of global warming or if the females are avoiding the Bay because of all the males around. Male polar bears will kill cubs given the chance.

Today we were surrounded by polar bears. There were three groups of males sparring or play fighting.

I'm amazed that they have the energy to play given that they haven't eaten in months. Another bear was taking out his aggressions on a sign.

When we got close enough to read the sign, we could see why he was so upset.

He wanted to get fed! When not sparring, the males would rest or come check us out. The would jump up against the Tundra Buggy and at twelve feet tall nearly reach the windows.

One curious guy came under the back observation deck sniffing at our boots through the metal grate. They have gentle, almost pleading eyes but beneath that docile exterior is one of the world's most ferocious predators.

We've seen a few other creatures while looking for polar bears. Yesterday we spotted a red fox trotting across the tundra. They appear larger than our foxes and this one had a dark tail.

Today we saw two Snowy Owls. The first was far away and looked like a white blob on the tundra. The second flew up as we approached and landed in the top of a white spruce not far away.

There were reports of Snowy Owls in Vermont last winter. If they come to vermont again this winter, I'll be sure to check them out. They are one of the largest owls in the world.

As we were driving back to Churchill this evening we came across a polar bear attacking a snowmobile.

He chewed on the seat, pushed against the machine and at one point tried to climb on it. We were amused but I'm sure the owner won't be too happy when he discovers his damaged snowmobile.  A woman in a few buses closer to the action was able to take a video.  She posted it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niT6Wg8Q08c

Tomorrow we head back to Winnipeg for the night before flying back to Montreal then driving home on Wednesday.

Marc and Peggy

Face to Face with a Wild Polar Bear‏

Greetings All,
We were picked up at 7:25 AM and we drove in darkness to the Polar Rover docking station. We drove right up to the Rover and entered through the back. They are old school buses on 5 foot monster tires. Everyone sat in the back so Marc and I grabbed the front seats with plenty of leg room and a great view out the front windshield.

We traveled on established routes and did not follow the other rovers but headed out on our own. Brad our guide spotted the first bears curled up on some rocks. One got up and moved around to the other bear

but for the most part they chose to sleep and not approach our vehicle. We saw a couple of other bears in the distance. One bear headed for us but the bear cam vehicle pulled up and she chose to visit that vehicle. One guy leaned out the window and lost his hat. The bear snatched it up and chewed on it before tossing it into the air.

Two more Tundra Buggies pulled up and the bear went to visit them. The other Tundra Buggies didn't stick around long. Finally, the curious bear visited us. She walked under the back observation deck and peered up thought the grated floor. This is about how close you'd want to get to a wild polar bear! She entertained us by rolling in the snow

and pouncing on make believe seals and pulling out grass instead. We finally left her and went to have lunch by the Tundra Lodge.

We pulled up past the lodge next to some willows to have lunch. There were two males play fighting and two more lying around.

They were inactive while we ate lunch but their curiosity got the better of them and they approached the rover. One jumped up against the rover and I could have touched him if I had a death wish.

He went under the observation deck and peered through the floor with his beady eyes.

At one time there were 6 bears around us, play fighting and posturing with one another. Churchill is one of the few places in the world polar bears congregate. They are waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze so they can go out on the ice to hunt seals. They haven't eaten for months so are eagerly waiting for freeze up. We were seeing so much bear activity that the day flew by. It was already time to return to the Polar Rover docking station. We saw some snow buntings on the way. We drove back to Churchill to watch the sun set.

Time for bed. We hope for another exciting day but, today will be hard to beat!

We hope all is well back home.

Peggy and Marc