Polar bears, caribou and sunsets- Scenes from Churchill, Manitoba

Dog sledding through the Boreal forest south of town near the Churchill River.

Boreal chickadee

Boreal chickadees survive on dormant insects in the bark of boreal forest trees.

Female pine grosbeak in the boreal forest. Churchill’s biodiversity is extremely high because it is at the transition zone between arctic coastal, boreal forest and tundra ecosystems. Grosbeaks have stout bills which allow them to feed on spruce cones during the winter.

The big males convened as usual to begin their sparring sessions. Practicing fighting helps these males hone their combat skills which they need during the mating season in the late winter when the toughest bears win the most females.

A beautiful young male crossed our path and gave us a close encounter.

I always love photographing a bear walking on the frozen ponds. Black and white adds focus to the shapes and patterns of the ice and wind-packed snow.  Check out a post I did last year on photographing the arctic in black and white.

Polar bears want their coats clean so they provide better insulation. They groom by giving themselves snow baths. Fresh snow cover always promises snow bath shows.

Group shot with aurora overhead.

A lemming boom this summer helped the fox population. Red foxes with their winter coats are always a highlight.

The plentiful lemmings are attracting lots of snowy owls. This first year male allowed us to close enough for some decent photo opportunities.

We were very lucky to see maybe a hundred caribou south of Churchill on our helicopter trip. According to Nathab guide Bonnie Chartier, they are likely part of the Kaminariak herd which normally resides far to the northwest between Churchill and Baker Lake. It was amazing to see these tough, iconic symbols of the North from the air.

Moose and large calf in the willows south of Churchill. We probably saw over a dozen moose on the trip.