Churchill Polar Bears, 13th November 2016

On my final posting about Churchill, I include a few pictures to give an impression of the landscape, which was sadly not covered in snow, as it has been in previous years. Compare these pictures to 2013, when Hudson Bay was already frozen and I sighted Arctic Foxes. In 2016, record warm temperatures across the entire Arctic meant that it was well into December until the freeze up occurred, and the polar bears finally got the chance to hunt seals on the ice. Together with an increasingly early thaw, this reduces the time they have to feed each year, and makes the future of this relatively southerly population of bears highly uncertain.

Churchill 2016 Contents
6th November
7th November
8th November
9th November
10th November
11th November
12th November
13th November

Churchill Polar Bears and Northern Lights, 12th November 2016

My last night in Churchill brought the magic of Northern Lights (scroll to the end of this page), though they were not as spectacular or long lasting as those I saw in 2012. November is far from the best time to see them here, owing to the rarity of clear skies, instead if it is your ambition to see them, your odds would be much improved by braving the intense cold of February or March. As the sun set, I also watched a mother and cub nursing in the rocks at Bird Cove, and caught a glimpse of the 'super moon'. First, there are a few pictures of a bear I spotted just behind the 'Miss Piggy' plane wreck closer to town.

Churchill 2016 Contents
6th November
7th November
8th November
9th November
10th November
11th November
12th November
13th November