BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-05)

62 BBC Wildlife May 2020

Myencounterwiththeworld’slargest
memberofthedeerfamilyis alltoobrief.
I’dbeenanticipatingsomethingshowier

• a magnificentbeastparadingits1.5m
  antlerswithgreatpompandfurore,
  perhapsbuglingintothemistytreesfrom
  atopa grassytussock.Instead,oneyearling
  femaletakesonefortheteam,herlong
  earstwitchingassheglancesupwardsfrom
  a drinkina roadsidepond,asduskdarkens
  thetrees.Forbigbeasts,it seems moose are
  prettygoodat hiding.

Goingona bearhunt
OnemoretogobeforeI headnorth,andit
shouldn’tbetootricky.I’maftertheblack
bear,andgiventhatRidingMountain’saspen
woodsareoneofthebestplacesinCanada
toseeit,I’moptimisticwhenPatthrows
thebusintogearat 7amthenextmorning.
“Wildlifehereis wild,”hesays,asweturn
offHighway10,themainarterythroughthe
park,andontoa quietertrack,a squadron
ofdragonfliesflyingintandem.“Thebears
arenotusedtohumans.Theybehaveas
they always have, adapted to their natural

environment.”Here,it’stheunderstoryof

hazel,raspberryandsaskatoon,a productive

larderthatdeliverstheinconceivable30,000

berriesthebearsmusteatdailytopreparefor

hibernation.I’mstillattemptingtocalculate

howmanysupermarketpunnetsthisequates

towhenthebusskidstoa halt,andI’m

showna slendersaskatoonbranchyanked

downtoalmosthorizontal.Bears,apparently,

arepartialtoa lie-downastheyfeed.

Ourluckis outthatmorning– perhaps

becauseit’shot,Patsuggests,andthebears

maybeforagingmoreat night.Wetryagain

intheevening,thebusmovingat suchspeed

thatI’mdoubtfulwe’llseemuchat all,but

I’mprovedwrong– a rotundblackblob

comesintoviewbytheroadside,tearing

at thebushes.Later,asthelightfades,we

spota youngstergambollingalonga grassy

bankanda largemalestandingtallonhis

hindlegs,unfazedbythepassingvehicles

asheeatshisfilloffruit.Threedays,three

habitats,threeticks.Timetogonorth.

AfterthegreeneryandwarmthofRiding

Mountain,Churchill,huggingthewestern

shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba’s far north,

is utterlygreyandbleak.Noneatpavements

linethestreets,noprettygardensbreak

upthedesolatebuildings.Languishing

snowmobilesandrustingshovelspointtothe

bone-rattlingwintersthatengulfthisremote

settlement,a townwherenoroadslead.Yet

therearetwoverygoodreasonswhytourists

flockherefromacrosstheglobe.First,the

estuarinewatersoftheChurchillRiverare

thesummerbreedinggroundfor3,000

belugawhales.Andsecond,it’stheself-

proclaimedpolarbearcapitaloftheworld.

Forthelessadventurousorthe

naviphobic,thegoodnewsis youcanspy

theworld’swhitest,noisiestwhalefromthe

terrafirmaofPortChurchill.Shiveringin

theicywindasI waittoboarda boat,I peer

pasttheharbourwalltotheflatexpanse

ofwaterbeyond.Sureenough,a paledot

breaksthegrey.Andanother...andanother.

Theremustbeatleast 20 ofthem,backs

archingsmoothlyliketinycrestingwaves.

BelugasbreedinHudsonBayinspring,

migratingtothewarmercoastalwatersin

Junetodineoncapelinandgivebirth(to

youngconceivedthepreviousyear).They

areinquisitivecreatures,andtheirhabit

ofinvestigatingpassingvesselsmeansan

apparentlyeasylifeforbelugatourguides.

Indeed,we’vebeenoffshoreforlessthan

10 minuteswhenthefirstpodappears,

loominga ghostlygreenbeforesurfacing

witha smallblow,a flashofdistinctive,

melon-likeheadanda cursoryflipofthe

tail. The captain cuts the engine and we

Belugas: Paul Souders/Getty; black bear: critterbiz/Shutterstock

Above:belugascometo

theChurchillRiverbasin

fromJunetoSeptember.

Right:blackbearcubs

areborninwinter,and

usuallystaywiththeir

mother for 18 months.

Therstpodappears,

loomingaghostly

green before surfacing.