bill hunnewell:
got seal? this 900lb male hasn't eaten since the ice melted last summer and he's hungry! when he gets off the ice next summer, he'll weigh ~1600lbs+
bill hunnewell:
first sparring observed on the tundra this year as the bears can smell the grease ice starting to set up opening up hunting season on the ice for polar bear! (sorry seals...)
bill hunnewell:
the lakes on the tundra are all frozen, now they wait for the hudson bay to do the same...
bill hunnewell:
a polar bear's nose is 10x more powerful than a dogs. They are able to smell seals on ice as far away as 2 miles!
bill hunnewell:
tundra nerds! in the 20s unlike last time we were here that with windchill got below -30 degrees!
bill hunnewell:
justin, our naturalist shows a model of a female polar bear can easily pop the head of a human like a watermelon
bill hunnewell:
waiting on the ice ...
bill hunnewell:
say ahhh - polar bear dental exam
bill hunnewell:
polar bears will eat kelp just to fill the void in their stomach while they wait for the ice to set up
bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
polar bear bonaza was in churchill last week for us!
bill hunnewell:
playbear model
bill hunnewell:
bears get excited when the weather changes and temps drop knowing that they soon will be eating again
bill hunnewell:
male sparring - this is play, there is a lot of trust not to hurt one another
bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
ebbtide on the hudson bay - the bay is all frazil ice that will soon solidify opening the bay seal hunting grounds for polar bear
bill hunnewell:
see next photo...
bill hunnewell:
exactly huh? copyright neil leifer
bill hunnewell:
minor scars shows sparring play over the years of these full grown males
bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
very few fox on the tundra this year unlike last time with arctic and red fox were spotted several times. the lemming go in 7 year cycles and this is the down year..
bill hunnewell:
this guy did pounce on one of the few lemming but was too far away for a good pic
bill hunnewell:
hoar ice on the willows and the hudson bay in the background
bill hunnewell:
hoar ice
bill hunnewell:
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bill hunnewell:
big male roams the tundra and permafrost on the hudson bay shore
bill hunnewell:
listen, do you want to know a secret?
