We placed ourselves in the hands of Churchill Wild (CW) for a week. This is an outfit which runs three lodges in northern Manitoba near the town of Churchill, and promises close encounters with polar bears in wilderness conditions. CW say they are the only tour operator which allows its guests on the ground with the bears - the others transport people around in Tundra Buggies and don't allow them out. As described below, the precautions around these operations to ensure our safety were extraordinary.
The CW lodges are open at different times of the year to maximise the probability of seeing the desired wildlife. We were at Seal River Heritage Lodge, a member of National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, on a Polar Bear Photo Safari, one of eight back to back groups timed for the start of winter when the hungry bears await sea-ice to form in Hudson Bay so they can go seal hunting. Scheduling these safaris years in advance is tricky business for CW what with global warming and other variability. Once the ice has come, the bears are gone, and there would be nothing to see. The location of the lodge itself was selected to be close to the Seal River estuary, a natural path for bears to follow as they await the sea-ice.
The Seal River Lodge certifies its membership of National Geographic's Unique Lodges of the World.
Sketch map of the immediate surrounds of Seal River Lodge. Our puddle-jumper landed on the runway adjacent to the Lodge, not on mostly frozen Swan Lake! And all we did was walk, no Tundra Tracker Train Rides at this time of year.
CW met us in Winnipeg and equipped us with boots and coats for the days ahead rather better than the ones we had needlessly brought with us. We then flew as a group due north almost to the border of Nunavut with Calm Air, and airline which has quite stringent baggage restrictions which they enforce rigorously, so we left a lot of stuff at our hotel in Winnipeg. It wasn't exactly Calm Air we flew with though - Calm Air only own prop aircraft - and our actual plane was a 737-400 (converted to be half cargo) operated by First Air. Even then, the aircraft was actually branded Canada Northern, a complicated commercial arrangement evidently! But it got us to Churchill in under 2 hours with better in-cabin service than other full-service airlines we could name.
First Air's flight map shows that Churchill, no matter how remote we think it is, is just the start of their network into far northern Canada.
Churchill is remote enough, but from there we were tranferred to two puddle jumpers for a 60km 15 minute aerial hop over icy tundra to the Seal River Lodge. The planes landed near enough that we could walk to the lodge, guided by armed guards in case curious bears came too close. Our group were all Canadians and Americans except for three Aussies and two Brits. Four were professional photo tour promoters and operators, probably sussing out new opportunities.
The lodge itself is an exceptional wilderness luxury establishment helping to justify the large amount of money we paid to come here! It's located on a common path for polar bears to follow on their way to Hudson Bay. A large wooden structure with warm tongue and groove timber walling and ceilings (with some featured galvanized steel), kept very cosy with a huge-built in pot-bellied stove and strategically placed propane heaters. Huge living and dining rooms with spectacular views over Hudson Bay and the tundra. A long corridor led to eight spacious double guest rooms complete with lovely en-suites, and an unheated breezeway which served as a mudroom and a safe place to keep camera gear. Staff quarters were behind the kitchen. There was a large works shed nearby and an emergency yurt, and that's about it, apart from heavy machinery to maintain the unsealed runway.
Observation tower within the lodge's back compound, guide Jody on top keeping guard.
The very comfortable living area of the Seal River Lodge, showing its great picture windows.
Looking across the rocky tidal flats to a view of wind chopped Hudson Bay.
Seal River Lodge seen across the Icy and muddy tidal flat. Look at that firewood pile!
Sleeping polar bear disturbed by the sound of (lodge maintenance man) Tyler's water truck going to Swan Lake. All water comes into the lodge this way. Past attempts to pump from the lake failed due to freezing.
At the front and rear of the lodge there are "turkey wire fenced" compounds so you can safely go outside. The larger compound at the rear has an observation tower and two decks overlooking the coast. We were permitted to go out into these compounds unaccompanied but only after checking with staff. The compounds were the starting point of our walking excursions.
Guide and guard Andy, ready for another outing, waits for us in the front compound.
Norman locks the front compound gate as we set off to the north on another excursion.
Seal River Lodge is managed by Ben (a Tasmanian) and Nicole on behalf of the owners and founders of CW, backed up by a large crew of very well trained hospitality staff who were, without exception, friendly and helpful and very flexibile in their work duties. The kitchen was visible to the dining room in the modern style, and we enjoyed fabulous meals three times a day, truly amazing when you realise the logistics required to get produce here.
Sunset over the rising waters of the tidal flat outside the lodge.
But we weren't here for the luxury - we were here in the hope of seeing polar bears! Every morning at dawn CW guides would climb the tower to look for signs, and at breakfast they would tell us where we might go. Twice daily we set out via the compounds on walking excursions up to about 5km, heading in the most promising directions. We were accompanied by three guides armed with a loaded shotgun each, flares, "bangers and flashers", and stones to clap together. We were drilled on how to march in single file, to stand shoulder to shoulder in a line or a vee if close to a bear. Any bears watching must have thought we were a long red serpent!
Almost fully night when this bear approached the lodge. He's got a clear battle scar on his left foreleg.
Young male bear paying close attention to a mysterious red serpent, us!
Polar bears are intelligent and curious, and are naturally attracted to the lodge, probably especially by its human and cooking smells. But seeing bears is not guaranteed, but we were lucky finding polar bears not far from the lodge on two days. All in all, we came close to three distinct bears. One was in near dark conditions, but we saw the other two on a brilliant day, both close enough to take excellent pictures. One bear (male, large skeleton and with healthy weight, maybe 300kg) had made a bed for himself in grass at a spot nicely protected from the wind (whereas we had to face the wind to face him). The other (male, slightly smaller and younger but in better condition) was wandering around from the tundra and across a rocky mudflat where the Hudson Bay tide had receded.
Short video of a polar bear prowling the tidal flats near Seal River Lodge.
Two male bears coming within about 100m of each other was enough for our guides to put us on high alert, and we formed a tight vee to present a large singularity to both bears. The bears approached each other and, in awe, we braced for a confrontation. The larger bear got up from his bed and glared unthreateningly at the other. The younger bear dithered for a few minutes, then decided against any action and scampered away, to graze right outside the windows of the Seal River Lodge.
Showing us his canine teeth and his beautiful bear paws, this male doesn't seem too happy with our presence.
A younger bear cautiously approaches, the sun behind him so he's got a good view of us!
The bigger bear is fully alert now, suddenly much more interested in a potential competitor than in us.
Only 50m from another older bear, the young one is about to retreat to avoid a confrontation.
He's is now just outside the lodge giving Jenny and Barbara an excellent view. Electrified barriers have replaced bars on the lodge windows.
As we made our way around the now resting again larger bear and back towards the lodge, we had a close encounter with the younger bear near the entrance to our compound. Here, our guide Andy, who had previously told us he would do exactly this, held us in a tight group and approached the bear, reading his body language, and talking to him. Andy proved he is a competent bear psychologist and a true bear-whisperer - he must have been trained by Doctor Doolittle. The bear, maybe startled by our close appearance, turned and scarpered around the back of the lodge. We rushed in through the front compound to the viewing points in the back compound ("don't go near the fence!") and saw the bear disappear behind a grassy hill right on the Bay coastline where we think he rested until dark.
Male polar bear peeks up from behind a grass bank. He's really interested in us, but we're in strict formation at this stage, large but not threatening, we believe.
What an experience for us all, and we were truly amazed at the calm manner in which Andy persuaded this 250kg polar bear to move away from us. He told us that talk doesn't always work and he often bangs his rocks together to discourage the bears, only rarely does he have to use the "bangers and flashers", and he's never used the shotgun.
It is important to emphasise the CW approach to interacting with wildlife which is designed to utterly respect their safety, calm and dignity. The Seal River guides made it clear that they would never do anything to startle or stress the animals, to cause them to behave differently. At this time of the year, bears are hungry and only want to conserve energy. We should avoid anything which might cause them to waste energy - "we were to manage our behaviour, not the bear's".
Swan Lake, a fresh water lake above the tidal flat, provides all our water at the lodge.
Apart from being able to talk to polar bears, Andy was also a most knowlegeable guide, and he wasn't the only one. There was Jody, a bubbly young lady from Winnipeg, and Norman, a softly spoken Cree from nearby York Factory, 200km south of Churchill and also on the coast of Hudson Bay. These three were a formidable team, and protected and educated us visitors on every outing, being constantly on the lookout (with binoculars) for bears and any other wildlife, and tightening up our discipline whenever any danger was suspected or seen. They helped us cross slippery mudflats and treacherous ice-covered creeks, and happily accommodated our special requests to go outside to view/photograph sunrises and sunsets etc.
Andy, our star guide and accomplished reader of polar bear body language.
Gun toting Jody keeps guard while we shoot the sunset.
Norman and Jody discussing something during one of our outings.
Beautiful monochromatic landscape of the partly frozen tidal flat.
Giant polar bear footprint preserved in almost frozen mud.
As if their days weren't long enough, the three guides each made presentations to us in the evenings after dinner. Andy's was on polar bears - we learned how the mothers dig dens in peat ridges covered in snow, how they lose so much weight giving birth to and protecting their cubs in that den, and how they feast on seals which form their own dens on top of ice floes and thus are easy prey, and how they have recently learned how to capture beluga whales!
Jody's presentation was on the northern lights (physics thereof and historical conceptions and misconceptions) but she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the self-same aurora borealis which had us all racing for tripods and cameras and overcoats.
From the back compound behind the emergency yurt, red and green apparent in the aurora borealis.
Truly spectacular northern light display, but only green on this night.
Norman talked to us about the history of York Factory, which was one of the Hudson Bay Company's first fur trading posts established in 1684 and not closed down unto 2007. The wooden structure currently at York Factory dates from 1831 and is the oldest and largest wooden structure built on permafrost in Canada. Wikipedia says that no-one lives permanently at York Factory, but Norman spends his summers there doing maintenance work for Parks Canada, the present owner. Norman fascinated us with old b/w photos of his antecedents in the old days of York Factory, and his own stunning photographs of bears and cubs, and wolves. Bravo Norman, it wasn't easy for this man of few words to make this presentation, but we appreciated it greatly. We learned (but not so much from Norman, who spoke very little about the Cree) that the Cree are Indians, not Inuit or eskimos, and there are/were numerous Cree groups (distinguished by their linguistic dialects) across Canada and northern USA, the one from northern Manitoba being the Swampy Cree and there are now 4,500 speakers of this dialect.
View of Seal River Lodge as seen from the tundra beyond the tidal flats.
Tassie Ben (centre) surprised us by appearing in the middle of one of our walking excursions equipped with hot mulled wine and other drinks and snacks.
Our Churchill Wild rented coats were heavy and warm, and provided great protection from wind and cold.
We had bear-free days as we shuffled over the tundra and tidal flats around Seal River Lodge, but that's not to say there was nothing else to see. There were ravens aplenty, and occasional glimpses of white arctic foxes darting around (camera never quite ready enough) and even a distant sighting of a wolf (a kilometer away, only seen through a telecope at the lodge). We had more luck with arctic hares (great photographic models, prepared to hold their position until you get quite close), willow ptarmigans (grouse, not quite as cooperative, but in great numbers), a fabulous view of a snowy owl (Andy said these are impossible to get close to, he measured our closest approach as 70m) and a few other odds and sods. About 2km from the lodge on a most modest hill (this land is almost totally flat) Norman showed us a 600 year old achaeological site, Cree campgrounds marked by stone circles centred by firepits.
600yo Cree campsite with Seal River Lodge in the far background.
This willow ptarmigan shows his distinctive red eyebrow and fluffy legs.
Flock of willow ptamigans take off when we spook them just a little too much.
Looking like a white rabbit from Alice In Wonderland, this arctic hare looks right down the camera's eye.
Arctic hare doesn't see the need to run, even though I am very close.
The arctic hare takes off at speed. He does not want to become a snack for a hungry bear.
Maybe getting too close for comfort for this willow ptarmigan.
Sharp eyed Andy saw this snowy owl when he was no more than a speck of white against the sky.
Snowy owl obliged us by flying right by when he thought we were just too close.
Wings up! Look at that eye!
During our five days at the Seal River Lodge we had some clear skies and some overcast days. Daytime temperatures ranged about -1 to +2C. We needed to make good use of those magic and mysterious hand warmers in our gloves. Sometimes the windchill factor was frightening, other windless days we got quite overheated walking in our rented coats. The tide came in and out over the tidal flats, mostly melting whatever freeze had occurred. The big freeze which will give the polar bears ice to stand on and go out to sea to feed has not happened yet, which is why the bears we saw were hanging around waiting for it. Much colder weather was forecast for the week following our visit, and apparently the big freeze happens quite quickly when it starts.
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