Brand in Volendam – Weer meer gezonde ijsberen in Canada.

Donderdagochtend (gisteren) werd Volendam opgeschrikt door een grote brand. Het winkelpand van Dirk van den Broek en ook het Chinese restaurant Indrapoera werden hierbij geheel verwoest. Vandaag vloog ik er over heen in mijn PH-BZN met de camera in de hand. De ravage is enorm.

Hier de foto’s die voor zich spreken.

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 Klimaat verandering experts – vroeger opwarming –  NIET blij !

Omdat een fotosafari naar de ijsberen in NoordCanada ook op ons programma staat voor 2017, zijn wij geabonneerd op de nieuwsbrieven van een aantal lodges langs de Hudson Bay, die e.e.a organiseren. In de laatste nieuwsbrief een positief geluid over de ijsberen…

Zojuist ontving ik dit bericht van de mensen die het kunnen weten, omdat ze er tussen leven. “Meer ijsberen dan ooit tevoren”, en ze zien er ook allemaal heel gezond en weldoorvoed uit. “De “klimaat verandering experts” zullen hier niet blij van worden”, zeggen de ervaringsdeskundigen in een commentaar bij dit bericht

Best start ever for Churchill Wild’s summer polar bear watching season!

Pre-breakfast polar bears at Seal River Heritage Lodge!
Pre-breakfast polar bears at Seal River Heritage Lodge!

This has without a doubt been Churchill Wild’s most spectacular start to the summer polar bear watching season. The mom and COYs (Cubs of the Year) shown above strolled past Seal River Heritage Lodge for a little pre-breakfast show this morning.

Bear numbers are up spectacularly this year and all are looking very fat and healthy, perhaps much to the chagrin of climate change “experts.” Our best day for the seductive white carnivores over the past week featured 21 polar bears sighted between the Lodge and our whale swim spot!

At any time you can glass in almost all directions from the new lounge windows and spot a polar bear lounging on the tundra or moving through the tidal flats. The ice pack, which was still visible a week ago, has finally dissipated and pushed a large number of bears on to our coastline here at Seal River, with the end result being many very happy cameras!

Guess what he's looking for.
Guess what he’s looking for.

Beluga whales are back in great numbers and doing their best to adopt the humans we keep launching off the back of the Zodiacs, but to date all guest have elected to return to their own kind. This fantastic inter-species interaction is a real highlight once again and there have been many song interchanges between snorkelers and belugas, though some folks might want to hang on to their day jobs if considering a career in music. The whales however, don’t seem to mind what key or half-key the voices come in, and joyfully chatter back and forth with the singing humans.

All in all, a great start, and much more to come!

And one the precious rewards for working late? Coming back to the Lodge on tranquil seas and being blessed with the gorgeous sunset below.

Sunset at Seal River.
Sunset at Seal River.