Polar Bear Pictures
Churchill, Canada
A polar bear in late September near Churchill, Manitoba.
Canada Map | More Churchill Polar Bear Information | Northern Canada Travel Guide
Premium polar bear watching around Churchill happens from early October to mid-November, tho' from September to early December is possible, depending on how quickly the ice forms on the Hudson Bay.
Polar bear tours always involve riding in a Tundra Buggy and these are usually group booked, but individual day trips are possible to get too. Book ahead to be sure of a place, you wouldn't want to go all that way without a ride!
Churchill's main wide-screen entertainment occurs January to March, when the wild and spectral Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) takes over the sky, though they may appear at any time.
Dog sled tours are another popular winter option.
Might as well catch up the hibernation since the ice has yet to show its frigid form.
Hoping for something edible lurking in the seaweed, though it's unlikely to be a ringed seal.
A bear approaching Ptarmigan. But not optimistically.
Ptarmigan.
Around 500 twitchers head for Churchill from June - August and have spotted over 270 species in the immediate vicinity including Snowy Owls, Swans, Golden Plovers, Canada Geese (they get everywhere) and Falcons just stopping off for a feed en route to elsewhere as well as indigenous Ptarmigan, Sandpipers, Sparrows, Finches, Smith's Longspur and Parasitic Jaeger.
Due to long daylight hours in the summer birders can go spotting around from 5am to 10pm if they choose on many dedicated trails and local birding specialists offer many bird watching tours.
Ptarmigan. Ahhhhh.
Arctic Hare.
A young beluga whale approaching an inflatable on the Churchill River, Hudson Bay, in July.
Photo by Ansgar Walk.
Up to 3,000 beluga whales arrive in the warm(ish) waters of the Churchill River estuary to socialize and calf from July to August. Local tour companies usually run one hour beluga watching trips via inflatable boat, kayaking or even snorkelling with another hour visiting Churchill's only architectural attraction, the Prince of Wales Fort.
Waiting for the ice man. Goodbye and good luck my furry chum.
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Weather: Churchill has a sub-arctic environment with long, very cold winters when temperatures drop about -28C (-16F) in January. Summers are short and cool, peaking in July at around 14C (57F), if you are lucky.
Getting there: No roads go to Churchill so tourists generally fly in (2 hours) via the international hub of Winnipeg, Manitoba, or take the train (48 hours). Thompson, Manitoba, is the nearest paved road to Churchill and trains run from there to Churchill.
© Daniel Nash II et famille
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