Tundra Buggy Day!

We had a great time on the Tundra Buggy tour at Wapusk National Park! We saw many bears, including a rare sight: a mother bear with 2 “COYs.” COY stands for “Cub of the Year” and indicates the cubs are just shy of their first birthday. Some of the bears came very close to our buggy. Mrs. Lonely Birder was over the moon! The day was capped off by an impressive sun pillar. Marvelous.

Wapusk National Park

Mrs. Lonely Birder was so excited!

Momma with 2 cubs

COY cuties

Curious bear

Footprints

“Can I get a ride?”

“Does this bus stop at Churchill?”

Happy walking bear

Many of the bears like to rest in the willows

Explorer

Three bears

The bears rest a lot as they wait for the sea ice to form

Watchful bear

Sun pillar

I did manage to see a few birds as we trundled across the tundra:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25694428

• Willow Ptarmigan
• Gyrfalcon
• Common Raven
• Snow Bunting

Things got a bit contentious at times, with many people crowding at windows or on the outer porch on the Tundra Buggy. It helped to be a bit aggressive to get some space to see the bears. It was a magical day in any case. These bears, and the land they inhabit, are majestic, beautiful, and perhaps dangerous. I felt truly privileged to be there, and feel quite thankful for the opportunity.