Polar Play~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life

We are seeing polar bear everyday here in The Hudson Bay!

This series of shots are a mama and cub at play.

Polar Bear health is rated on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being too thin and starving, and 5 being overfed and obese.

I am happy to report that all the bears we are seeing are healthy fours!

The population of polar bears at Hudson Bay are thought to number between 900-1000.

Some estimates indicate Hudson Bay populations may have declined approximately 17%- 22% in recent years, but they have rebounded from all time population lows in the 1950’s-70’s.

All the bears we are seeing look really healthy.

During the end of August, polar bears are in a state of semi-stuporous, walking hibernation, waiting for the waters of the bay to freeze up, so they can head out and hunt seals.

They still do eat and hunt though, and I will show you some photos of this in my next post.

But, for the most part, these lazy August days are spent sleeping, playing and swimming.

This little cub though, seems quite intent on depriving mama of her nap!

The affection between them was beautiful to see.

Cheers to you from the happy, healthy bears of The Hudson Bay~

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350 thoughts on “Polar Play~”

    1. It seems incongruous doesn’t it. I can tell they love rolling around on the tundra, but when the temp starts to get a bit too warm for their taste, they pant and go swim in the bay where the belugas tease them!

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  6. Toujours de beaux clichés animaliers, celui-ci nous incitera à porter encore plus d’attention au réchauffement climatique, dont les ours blancs seront probablement les premiers à payer l’addition.

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    1. Je vous remercie. Je suis d’accord avec toi. Nous devons protéger notre planète de ses belles créatures contre nous-mêmes. ก็็็็็็็็็็็็็ʕ•͡ᴥ•ʔ ก้้้้้้้้้้้

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    1. I feel just the same. These magnificent creatures deserve our protection ก็็็็็็็็็็็็็ʕ•͡ᴥ•ʔ ก้้้้้้้้้้้

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  11. I wouldn´t like to be on the receiving end of that play.
    They are truly magestic creatures. And you…..na, just strolling next to them telling them ¨smile¨and ¨roll over¨ click click with the camera…..
    I don´t know why I watched a lot of documentaries about these bears, these ones the other ones , lieons, e.t.c really, but these creatures as I say are truly magestic. Nice capturing them playing, very rare. Great job.

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    1. I see them just as you do Charly. They are magnificent. They are the top predators here, but now the grizzlies are moving into their territory, and dominating them, which surprises me as grizzlies are smaller. I wonder if the grizzlies have the advantage in spring through fall, and the polar bears dominate in the winter, when the grizzlies and less able to camouflage themselves against the winter white. Both are stealth hunters so not being seen is a big advantage.

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    1. In June the birds are here enmass. Towards late August most birds have left, but the polar bears are coming towards the shore waiting for freeze up, and there are thousands of beluga whales in the bay to play with. You can walk around with a guide, take boats out on the bay, and drive the unpaved roads looking for wildlife. The weather is also usually better and the aurora borealis can often be seen. In September and October, the bears and tourist mass, as freeze up is starting. It is cold. You can’t go out on the bay by boat and you have to transport around all day in a tundra buggy which is a bus specially designed for bear viewing. You will see more bears closer, but will be cooped up in a vehicle with less freedom and more tourists. IN August we drive around in a van with just ourselves, a guide, and a person from Italy and Spain. It has been perfect. My son went snorkeling in the bay in a drysuit and you can kayak with the belugas who love to play with you.

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    1. Oh I hope you do come up here. It is an experience of a lifetime. I actually recommend August. There are thousands of belugas who want to play with you and bears playing and enjoying themselves all around you. The ecosystem itself is a wonderland. Taking the train which is a two day trip would be an experience too, because you travel through all this unpopulated (by humans) habitat filled with lakes and ponds and wild ones.

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  25. Wow! There’s something that seems so startling about seeing polar bears against a green background because all of the documentaries always position them trudging along the ice. Incredible photos, as always.

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    1. Everything about polar bears is incongruous and I know just what you mean. Polar bear playing in the flowers is not an image we expect. But they are here now, about 900 of them.

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    1. Thank you John.
      The experience is up there with Antarctica, Africa and The Amazon.
      It has this unreal component.
      In Africa I walked off the plane, looked around, and thought, “Oh, my God,” and moved to get our rental car.
      Antarctica is beyond the words of me, but someone else sailed us there.
      Stepping off “Calm Air,” (aka Calamity Airlines,) I saw the first bears in under five minutes.
      It was the same surreal feeling in all three places, but polar bears are special. They are the earth’s largest terrestrial predators, and they are magnificent

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    1. Thank you Charles for support these amazing ก็็็็็็็็็็็็็ʕ•͡ᴥ•ʔ ก้้้้้้้้้้้ & cheers to you my friend <3

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    1. Yes. The viewing distance is so safe it does negatively affect the photos, but it protects me, and it protects the polar bears who are endangered by people who get too close for better shots.

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  47. Wonderful pictures, polar bears are beautiful creatures. You are truly lucky to have the opportunity to see these beautiful scenes and capture them.
    Thank you for sharing. 🙂

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    1. I am shamelessly riding on the polar bears short but powerful tail of popularity. There is something seriously wrong with someone who doesn’t love a polar bear. The people in Churchill, who know them best, love and respect them. Every house, has a least one artistic polar bear rendering on prominent display, most have more than one.

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      1. Fabulous! They are beautiful creatures of earth, and like most have been short changed by man. Churchillians must be a lot closer to nature than many.

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        1. People in Churchill are very friendly, helpful and impressive. They live in the most unique place, in the midst of this vast and stark tundra, next to the massive Hudson Bay which is really like a sea, and of course they share the place with so many polar bears. I listened to a lecture by this young local Cree girl at The Churchill library and learned so much from her. The ties and family bonds going down through the generations in her culture is so impressive to me. And there is a local Eskimo museum. The relocation of the Sayisi Dene people here and the effect on their culture was heartbreaking to see and read about, and the museum had this huge collection of incredible Inuit art and artifacts. Whenever I visit the arctic, I am just blown away with the people who lived for thousands of years in such harsh environments, didn’t destroy their territory, and survived, until the Europeans arrived.

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