Canada Bears and Other Mammals
British Columbia - June 2006
We discovered this Grizzly Bear while driving up the road to Marmot Basin Ski centre near Jasper. Although the ski centre was closed the quiet road did allow this bear to feed on vegetation at the roadside undisturbed.
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This Black Bear and cub were seen feeding along the water edge at Knights Inlet, a remote site on the mainland.
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Two three year and one four year old Grizzly Bears were seen feeding together along the shores of Knight Inlet. The four year old was soon to attract the attention of the male below.
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The arrival of this male Grizzly Bear was a surprise to the bear tour guides at Knight Inlet.
He made his way steadily along the water edge on the trial of a young female.
There was no stopping for food along the way.
On the way he startled a Black Bear and the two younger Grizzly Bears. They all ran off at high speed as soon as they realised he was there.
He eventually met up with the four year old female, who was presumably on heat. She carried on feeding with him close by. The next morning the pair were still together.
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This female Grizzly Bear and two cubs were feeding on one of the few open grassy areas. The female led her two cubs to safety when the male appeared.
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A Seal sat on his favourite rock at Knights Inlet.
This Seal was content to be fed by passers by at a harbour in Victoria
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Killer Whales or Orcas, are not easy to photograph and these are the best I could do. We saw probably three separate pods of Orcas. The first was seen from the shore at Sooke on the southern end of Vancouver Island (spotted while still in bed!). The above photographs were taken from the whale watching boat "Orca Spirit" and more were seen from the ferry from Victoria back to Vancouver.
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Elk were fairly common in the Rockies, particularly around Jasper. Females were most frequently seen.
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This single Hoary Marmot was seen on the summit of Whistler Mountain near Jasper. It's home was presumably beneath the pile of rocks. With snow still on the ground in June, we wondered how they could survive the winter.
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Several Yellow-bellied Marmots were seen during the trip some apparently living in small groups.
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Big Horned Sheep blended into the rocky terrain very well. This small group drew a small crowd of observers along the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper.
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Chipmunks were common at times in the Rockies.
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Red squirrels were also common.
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One of three Racoons seen during the trip. Normally nocturnal this one was attracted to the crowds at Stanley Park, Vancouver.
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