Into the Great Bear Rainforest
Harbour Seals resting on a sandbank in late evening
I have now had the chance to do a first review of my images from the recent trip to Canada. And wow! It has brought the whole fantastic adventure back to the front of my mind. I already want to go back :-)
It was a rare sight to encounter another boat in the remote parts of Princess Royal Island, BC.
For more images from the Great Bear Rainforest also see the gallery section.
A pretty stunning mooring - the Passing Cloud at anchor
The Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia is a truly remote wilderness. Aboard the schooner Passing Cloud with Brad Hill – the renowned wildlife photographer – we spent almost two weeks seeking wildlife in many remote parts of this beautiful landscape (see my previous short teaser blog). Cleary, local knowledge is the only way to be able to explore such as vast wilderness, and Brad provided this in abundance, expertly guiding this exploration. We avoided the easier to reach areas and ventured further into the channels, fjords, inlets and river mouths rarely visited.
The 80 year old float plane … still going strong
The trip started in Port Hardy, where a 1942 Grumman Goose floatplane took us north to rendezvous with the Passing Cloud. This beautiful 1970s wood schooner was our home for the next eleven days. We set off north-west immediately, into this stunning environment. Water, islands, mountains and forests of spruce and cedars stretching on forever. This area, from the north of Vancouver Island to the Alaskan border, comprises 32,000 square kilometres, and is part of the largest temperate rainforest on the planet. This mountainous region’s proximity to the sea results in large amounts of rainfall when the moist air from the Pacific pushes up against the mountains. This unspoilt area provides a habitat for bears, wolves, cougars, many marine mammals and an abundance of birds, all based around the vital salmon which is the basis of this rich ecosystem.
The plan was simple but flexible – to circumnavigate Princess Royal Island – this highly remote island is the fifth largest in Canada at 2,250 sq km and is situated 520 km north of Vancouver. We would adapt the plan depending on the wildlife we encountered. High up on the list of targets were the apex predators bears and wolves, but also, marine mammals and birds. The pacific salmon is the creature that creates this rich ecological environment. Salmon in their billions come home to spawn and die in the rivers across the region’s 2,500 salmon runs. This provides nutrition for many species and nutrients for the rivers and inlets. Bears fatten up on the salmon ahead of the hibernation season. The Pacific Coastal Grey Wolves (or Sea Wolf) uniquely has a diet that is mostly marine based – and salmon forms a key part. Interestingly, they only eat the head of the salmon, as the rest contains bacteria the wolf cannot deal with.
No barrier is big enough for a Salmon venturing home to spawn - they use the earth’s magnetic field as a compass to find the way
The river outlets were key searching grounds for wildlife. We employed a small inflatable rib to drift up the river mouths using the tidal flow to our advantage, seeking out tell-tale signs for salmon, such as ancient man-made stone tidal fishing traps, the sight of jumping salmon or dead salmon - all signs that bears and wolves may be present.
A Black Bear searching for Salmon at low tide at a river mouth … notice the Salmon jumping just in front of the Bear
As always – early morning or late afternoon are the most rewarding times to observe wildlife. Exploring one inlet one late evening, when dusk was on us and the light was fading, we spotted three wolves in the distance on the shore looking for salmon. The tide was against us, and the distance as well as the poor light prevented any photography. But we had a sighting and decided to venture back in the rib the following pre-dawn. This time we had the rising tide with us and let the rib drift towards shore silently whilst the sun rose. We were rewarded with the sight of a pack of five Coastal Grey Wolves on the shore.
The Pacific Coastal Grey Wolf - also known as a Sea Wolf - shot handheld at 7am in poor light at 700mm, f/8, ISO 6400, 1/100s
They became aware of our presence but tolerated the small grey dinghy 150 yards away. And as we drifted slowly in, they did not see us as a danger and went about their morning search for food. A mesmerising sight – these beautiful stealthy lean predators – in the early morning mist.
Shot handheld at 700mm, f/8, ISO10,000, 1/400s - heavy crop and high ISO meant the image required plenty of TLC in post-processing
Photography conditions were challenging due to distance and lack of light. ISO and shutter speed settings were at the margins with the aperture as wide as the lens would allow. I used the Nikon 500mm PF f/5.6 lens with the 1.4 converter to give me 700mm of reach (even then these images were significantly cropped). The 700mm focal length resulted in a rather modest maximum aperture of f/8, capturing little light. As a result, most shutter speeds were at an aggressive 1/40s to 1/160s (pushed on occasion to 1/400 for action) to keep the ISO within the 3600 – 12800 range. Add to that hunching down in an inflatable rib shooting handheld! That is when I wish I had the very expensive but ultimately brilliant Nikon 400mm f2.8 TC – which would have provided me 560mm (a bit shorter) but at f/4, two more stops of light – and that is a significant improvement. But increasingly, as the light improved a little, and the wolves got closer to the shoreline we were rewarded by some magical images. A truly great experience.
The Coastal Wolves only eat the head of the Salmon
We had a similar approach to the search for bears. As always, when looking for wildlife patience is key and the knowledge that not every outing in the rib would be successful. After several days of no bear sightings, we hit the jackpot. On a rainy misty morning we let the rib float up the river with the tide (we would not have been able to get this far up the river without the incoming high tide), and we spotted a Grizzly at the river’s edge. The bear was obscured by thickets and logs, only the head visible above the water in the dark undergrowth.
A Grizzly Bear searching for dead Salmon to eat along the river’s edge
For an hour or so, as the light improved and the bear went about its business searching for salmon, we got closer and closer – until we were a mere 10 yards away. The bear acknowledged us but felt no threat and continued its search upriver, until he disappeared around the bend in the driving rain where the shallow water was too low for the rib.
Nothing like rotten Salmon for breakfast! A Grizzly tucking in …
It is a toss-up what was more rewarding – the wolves sighting or this Grizzly encounter. Neither was perfect for photography. The bear’s background was a messy riverside, with many unsightly branches and sticks. The Wolves were in poor light and at a distance. If I had to choose – then probably the encounter with the Pacific Grey Wolves – they are such skittish and shy animals that are very tricky to get close to in the wilderness.
After munching on Salmon, the Grizzly made it across the river keeping a watchful eye on us
A Black Bear about to cross the river
After a slow start, the wolves and the Grizzly sightings in quick succession seemed to be a trigger for a few days of great wildlife shooting opportunities. We encountered a Black Bear up another tidal river, and again came within 10 yards of this powerful and elegant creature.
In addition, we encountered humpback whales and orcas in the channels, sea lions, sea otters, river otters, and many different species of birdlife particular to the Pacific side of North America. I will focus on the birds in a separate blog.
A Humpback Whale diving
Sea Lions seeking the safety of the water …
To sum up: A truly awe-inspiring trip to a beautifully preserved wilderness. Remote and majestic. The encounter with wildlife was truly magical. I feel I have only just touched this spectacular world and I cannot wait to go back …
A curious Sea Otter
A young Sea Lion keeping a close eye on the rib