Northern Manitoba is the place to be in October when the great white hunters roam the tundra.
In autumn the great white polar bears gather on the shores of Hudson Bay waiting for the bay to freeze.
BY CATHERINE M. SENECAL
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
We could see only three metres of icy road out the front windshield of the bus. “This is what you call a white-out,” our driver said, oblivious to the fact she was driving around in what seemed like the insides of a marshmallow.
To her, this was just another blustery November day in Churchill. While the radio blasted blizzard warnings, the temperature hovered at minus 14 degrees C. and winds rushed off Hudson Bay at 40 kph. Wind and snow, however, did not deter people from Switzerland, Japan and Vancouver from heading out on the tundra to observe the magnificent, white polar bears that show up in this area every fall.
Churchill, population 1,100, is situated on the shore of Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba, 2,000 km north west of Toronto. In spring, warm temperatures and winds from the north send large ice floes, along with the bears, floating to ward the southwest end of Hudson Bay. When the ice finally melts, the bears end up on the shore near Churchill with fat stores to last them the summer. Because the bears eat nothing but grass and seaweed over the summer, they are hungry by the time the temperature drops in the fall. With peak numbers between mid October and early November, the bears meander to capes along the coast and anxiously await the annual freeze-up of the bay — 762,000 square km of chilly green water — when they can then head out on the ice to feast on ringed seals over the winter.
During the freeze, the seaport of Churchill, accessible by air, rail, or more rarely, ship, makes an excellent vantage point from which to view a few of the 1,200 or so polar bears roaming this 160 km stretch of coastline. Tour operators allow wildlife enthusiasts to view and photograph the bears and other wildlife safely. After our half-hour bus shuttle east of town, we climbed into a tundra buggy – a specially built vehicle designed to take people across the tundra. It looks like a big, white shoebox on tractor tires. The tires roll easily over un- even terrain and windows open more than two metres off the ground, out of reach of curious bears that like to stand on their hind legs and look in on the tourists.
“The trick for today is to see how quickly we can get lost,” joked our driver and guide, as he shifted the buggy into first. Visibility was extremely poor. On my right, stunted spruce trees stuck out of the snow-covered terrain, branches flagged to one side from the icy, pre- vailing winds. On my left, nothing but snow, snow and more blowing snow. Like a boat bucking the waves of an immense, white sea, we rolled over snow-covered boulders, frozen gravel ridges and through snowdrifts the size of small cars.
The dozen of us in the buggy peered out over the frigid landscape looking for bear. As we sipped our hot coffee, the wind subsided and visibility improved enough for one of us to spot a couple of polar bears. The great ice kings. First one, then two yellowish-white, furry backs rose up from the willows, while the bears checked us out. One bear ambled away, swaying her head back and forth to sniff the air, and check over her shoulder to see we weren’t following. “Often, budgies are surrounded with up to a dozen bears circling the vehicle, nibbling at the tires or playing nearby,” our driver said.
Playing refers to the young males that bat their paws at each other, then rise up on their hind legs to wrestle and dance. These mock matches are practices for genuine fights when competing for a mate. On a high esker at Gordon’s Point, we spotted another bear walking along a pressure ridge. Hudson Bay is not frozen over in one flat sheet. Instead, wind and water force chunks of frozen ice up into pressure ridges resembling waves of caked white crumpled mud. The bear slowly walked over and around the ridges, stopping often to sniff the air. Every tenth step or so, one of his huge paws broke through the thin ice. Adult males can weigh up to 650 kilos and this bear looked like he was close to that. He moved like a true lord of the Arctic as he sniffed along a lead in the ice searching for a seal’s breathing hole.
Because of an early freeze, many bears were already on to the pack ice and out of sight, but our adventure wasn’t over yet. Late afternoon, we drove out on to a narrow gravel spit that reached about 200 metres into Hudson Bay. At the tip of this finger of land stood one single black rock, a stark contrast to the gray skies. Looking for bears off the back deck, the wind blew fiercely across the sub arctic tundra, flagging tiny trees and blowing wisps of snow south.
It was great to get back to our hotel rooms in Churchill. I saw only a few bears, but was not disappointed. Spending time, however brief, in this glorious and ethereal landscape, does something to the soul. In the fall, visitors can opt to stay out on the tundra in a train like “lodge” in attached sleeping and dining cars, capturing polar bears and scenes in the early morning and dusk light.
Churchill is great other times of year. Spring and summer along the Hudson Bay Lowlands bring Arctic birds, beluga whales and wildflowers. Birders come in May, June and July to see birds they can only see here, including Ross’s gull and common eiders. In July and August, people come to the Churchill River estuary to dive with or listen to extremely vocal beluga whales from hydrophone equipped boats.
Normally, the best time for viewing multiple polar bears is mid-October to early November, but dates vary depending on weather conditions. Summer presents opportunities for watching individual bear behaviour up and down the coastline. No roads lead in or out of Churchill. Travellers arrive via a two hour flight or two day train from Winnipeg. For a list of tour operators offering packaged excursions, contact Travel Manitoba.
About the Writer:
Catherine Senecal is a Winnipeg-based freelancer and author of Pelicans to Polar Bears: Watching Wildlife in Manitoba.