Polar Bear Alley

This is a collection of northern stories - polar bear, arctic and otherwise from churchill, manitoba, canada - the polar
bear capital of the world.

It follows the polar bears of western Hudson Bay during their season on land from mid-July to November.

Churchill Travel Guide
Hotels in Churchill, Manitoba
Travel to Churchill, Manitoba
Polar Bear Alley Expeditions

Polar Bears of Churchill Book
Polar Bears of Churchill Facts

Polar Bear Photo Gallery
Beluga Whale Photo Gallery
Polar Bear News 
Polar Bear Attack Page

Munck's Cafe Publishing

Weather in Churchill, Manitoba

Hudson Bay Sea Ice Update

Tide Table for Churchill

Churchill Aurora Forecast

Polar Bear Blog

Today's Blog 
October 19-26, 2006
October 9-18, 2006
October 1-October 9, 2006
Sept 24-October 1, 2006
Sept 15-23, 2006
Sept 1-8, 2006
August 20-31, 2006
August 8-17, 2006
August 1-8, 2006  
July 25-31, 2006  
July 18-24, 2006   
July 12-17, 2006   
July 2006   
June 2006  
May 2006 
Archived articles

Polar Bear Blog - Big Bear Hits Town - November 5th, 2006

Hey, this is an eventful bear season! Churchill had another late night incident, only this time it was actually with a bear, a really, really big bear (I've heard around 1500lbs) and maybe the one that was at my cabin a couple weeks ago.

Anyway, this monster rolled into town around midnight and Polar Bear Alert caught up with him around 2am. He was pretty sly and there ended up being four polar bear alert trucks chasing him around town. He managed to elude them for a while, dipping in and around the buildings on Kelsey Boulevard (Churchill's main drag) but like Sargent Preston, Polar Bear Alert always get their man, I mean bear.

Winter storm heading our way tonite, forecast calls for about 10-15cm (4-6") over the next two days. Thanks for nothing Home Depot. Long live Canadian Tire!

Lots of film crews and journalists in town right now - everybody doing climate change and 'bears on thin ice' stories. Trouble is, ice is building daily and it really looks like the bears will head out around November 15th - right on time... Good for the bears, bad for dramatic license.

Note: Yes, Churchill's main street is named Kelsey Boulevard and yes, everybody asks me if it is named after me. My favourite response is 'Yes, town council said they would name a street after me if I moved away but then I came back.' But, of course, it is named after Henry Kelsey, the boy explorer and first white guy to see a buffalo.

Polar Bear Blog - I Feel Shame - November 4th, 2006

Yes, I have neglected the blog for a couple days. The first night was a valid reason - Fred Bruemmer, possibly the foremost arctic explorer of the late 20th century, was in town giving a lecture and it was very very nice. He is a great writer and if you can find any of his books, buy them. Last night, I went out and had a few drinks after a day with the dogs and then a book signing but hey, I'm an adult and that's what we do and we do it just because we can, so there.

Lots of stuff going on right now, aside from masses of tourists bobbling down the windswept streets of Churchill. Winter has set in, pastel skies and downcast mornings bring with them a strange exhilaration. Grease ice clings to the shore, the first sign of the coming freeze. As salt water freezes it sinks, making a soupy mess of half-formed jello ice. With each tide and each wave, a little more builds up and builds out into the bay. If things keep up at this pace, there should be enough ice for the polar bears to head back out in about two weeks.

The dogs are doing great. Dave's lead dog, Smoke, the badboy of the kennel, is running fast and smart. It is really neat to see a dog learn and progress and get back in the swing of things as each day progresses. His gee/haw (left/right) commands are getting pretty tight and its a lot of fun working with him.

The bears are great. A mom with two big two-year old cubs is hanging out around Bird Cove. A few years ago, polar bears used to wean their cubs after about 18 months but increasingly females are keeping their cubs with them for another season, likely increasing their chances of survival but decreasing overall birthrate. Its all very complicated and I am not really sure what it means and I am too tired to think about it right now.

What else? A Tundra Buggy bus hit the ditch. I drove up when they were trying to pull it out with two buggies (a real Churchill traffic jam). It wasn't going too well, I think they even ended up bending the drive shaft.

Home depot finally sent me my brush cutter after over two months of waiting and they sent me the wrong product!! Yes, Home Depot's final revenge was to get my hopes up and then crash them once more. You see, I need that brush cutter to eliminate a few willows to keep my winter road open. One of the first things you learn in Churchill is that little willows make big snow drifts. I figured I would be prepared for first snow by ordering a brush cutter in August but really... being prepared for winter is over-rated, much better to jump up and down and throw things instead.

Polar Bear Blog - Lemming Capital of the World - November 1st, 2006

Yes, I may have been here too long because my polar bear tour highlight was spotting a Richardson's Collared Lemming!!! Yes, a lemming sighting that was more than just a little fluff of something scurrying across the road.

This little rodent posed and scuttled around tundra, staring at the buggy and our crew of parka-laden tourists. Half white and half brown, he seems a little more in tune with the seasons than most of the other animals up here. Nice to see a few lemmings still alive and kicking after that big storm.

Polar Bear Blog - Thirty Plus Bears - November 1st, 2006

Headed out on a Tundra Buggy yesterday, just to check things out and see if the rumors of bear numbers were true. And, yup, its pretty good out there, at least four sets of moms and cubs kicking around, a bit of sparring, some old bears and some young. Pretty nice!

Of course, its not for me anymore. After driving buggy for years, its not the same being a passenger - the real kick for me was anticipating polar bear behaviour, not just riding a buggy. It was nice but after having so many polar bears around this summer and then at my cabin this fall, I am pretty happy with my life after buggyland.

But, this kind of brings me to my favourite topic, the garbage dump! I was thinking about last season and while there were only three or four polar bears at this time last year (but they were three or four really, really good bears!), the first ten days of October were great. Early in the season, we saw several polar bears pass through, including three sets of moms and cubs. The only difference was that west winds drew them to the burning garbage at the dump. Without the dump, they probably would have hung around out there for a good chunk of the season.

And, again, this summer would not have been the same great polar bear summer if we still had the old Churchill dump. Bears were all along the coast just hanging out, it was great fun to hike and encounter a bear here and there. Its a such a neat feeling when a polar bear pops up when you are not expecting it, unless its at your home.

Polar bear encounters with the Polar Bear Alert program are way down, which is good for Churchill and good for the bears. The less we have to handle these bears, including drugging and relocating them by helicopter, the better it is for them.

Note: I've heard a few people say they are disappointed that I am not writing more about the large tour company and the incident with their van but when it comes down to it, its not up to me to tell the truth, its up to them especially if they want to be considered leaders in this community.

Polar Bear Blog - Peak of Peak Season - October 30th, 2006

Mother and a single yearling cub walking along Bird Cove yesterday, the first bears trickling out of buggyland. It has been a great season so far, there are five or six sets of mothers and cubs and around 30-40 bears in total out there. A nice treat. I am heading out to buggyland tomorrow for a break from the dogs and a few photos of polar bears.

Hotels are booked solid, restaurants are packed and we are at the peak of bear season. Seventy people out at the dog yard today, lots of fun despite a flat tire on the dog cart. Yes, the dog cart, we are still using training carts because snow banks are few and far between up here. Feels like it might snow tonight but its hard to say. Our biggest problem is that we are still experiencing daily highs above zero (freezing). Forecast calls for a high of -7C by Friday so winter could be just around the corner...

One of the reasons that I have not written for a day or two is that things are a little strange right now. The hotel incident has got the town a pretty fired up. Word spreads fast in Churchill and the first story (and probably the real story) came out early and came out hard. But, somehow just a whole lot of nothing happened and the company involved has mummed the word on it. I really want to keep writing about this but thinking about it, its probably not worth it. All I'm going to say is that its a real shame and very embarassing the way this is playing out.

Polar Bear Blog - Bear Tales - October 27th, 2006

Another warm day - high of 5C and low of zero (freezing). Beautiful sunset and afternoon light is making the town look nice, catching the greens and reds of tourist parkas, lighting them up like some kind of confused and disoriented aurora borealis.

Tina Keeper, our Member of Parliament and former TV person, is in town for a day. I went to a meet and greet and coffee chat and ended up talking to a couple old-time Camp Nanuq cabin owners and telling bear tales. Now, I am just updating the blog before catching up with everyone at the Meat Draw at the Royal Canadian Legion. Meat Draw is every Friday but at the end of each month, they give away a big hamper of meat and tonight, there's even going to be karaoke. This is a big event.

Heard that a mom and cubs caught a seal out in buggyland, a good sign. Over the past few years, there are getting to be more and more seal kills around here and bears are getting better at onshore kills. Ringed seals fall asleep and then get stranded by the tides. Bad for the seal, better for the bear.

The spin doctors are hard at work after the big van through the hotel incident and local people are getting pretty annoyed that no one is 'fessing up but we shall see what happens I guess.