Polar Bear Blog - Belugas Galore - July 25, 2006

I will have a polar bear update pretty soon. They have been up to some crazy things around here but this is peak beluga whale season and the river is pretty amazing right now.

Yesterday was a good day. There were two accessible high tides (9am and 9pm) meaning that I spent four or five hours out on the river watching whales. Heading out at 7am, I ended up being all alone on the river with probably 3,000 whales.

With the capelin running, the whales were active, hunting and herding schools of these little fish. It was so still that you could even hear their echolocations through the hull of the zodiac boat. Hearing these spooky, spacey sounds, you really get an idea why old sailors used to called these whales the 'canaries of the sea'.

The belugas come into the river to give birth and moult and eat and generally relax in the warmer waters of the estuary. With numbers peaking right now, it is pretty common to see 360 degrees of whales once you are out in the channel, ranging from bright white rippling bulls to gangs of grey sub-adults to mothers gently swimming under their newborn babies, supporting their first efforts at swimming.

Heading out today to cross the river and hike to the old Jens Munck site. Should be fun assuming we do not get eaten by a bear.