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A Winter Visit to Churchill, Manitoba

Article & Photography by Muriel Gustavson

Far in the distance, while driving from the Churchill airport to the town, I observed a polar bear climbing ice blocks. This was the first of many polar bears to be seen in the next few days. In mid November the bears move toward Hudson Bay and the ice that is forming at the shoreline. This ice provides access to the ringed seals, food for the bears in winter.

A Tundra Buggy Tour afforded the sighting of many bears as they roamed close to the water. Some stood alone like sentinels while others moved about in pairs or trios, sometimes scratching in kelp to make a cozy resting place. Almost all of the bears ignored tourists with their cameras aimed out of every tundra buggy window. We watched an arctic fox sprint across the snow covered ground. Arctic hares left tracks in the sparkling snow but they evaded the tourists.

Red lichen provided a burst of color in the white landscape. Small black spruce trees, willows and grasses reached up through the snow-covered ground.

Churchill has other tourist attractions in the winter such as the Prince of Wales Fort, the Parks Canada Visitor Centre and the Eskimo Museum. Dog sled and helicopter rides can also be arranged. Churchill is well worth a visit, especially in November.
Prairie grain is shipped out of this elevator at the Port of Churchill, Manitoba.
Prairie grain is shipped out of this elevator at the Port of Churchill, Manitoba. Street scene, Churchill, Manitoba.
Street scene, Churchill, Manitoba. An inukshuk stands by the shore of Hudson Bay at Churchill, Manitoba.
An inukshuk stands by the shore of Hudson Bay at Churchill, Manitoba. Small clumps of spruce trees provide shelter for small animals of the Canadian tundra.
Small clumps of spruce trees provide shelter for small animals of the Canadian tundra. The three polar bears are settling in for a long winter night.
The three polar bears are settling in for a long winter night. Polar bears lift their heads to detect scents around them.
Polar bears lift their heads to detect scents around them. The polar bear has small ears in order to conserve body heat.
The polar bear has small ears in order to conserve body heat. The arctic fox is well camouflaged with a white winter coat that blends in with the snow and ice.
The arctic fox is well camouflaged with a white winter coat that blends in with the snow and ice. Three polar bears are hoping to find a seal as they traverse the ice blocks on the shores of Hudson Bay
Three polar bears are hoping to find a seal as they traverse the ice blocks on the shores of Hudson Bay The tracks of an arctic hare have indented the sparkling snow of the tundra.
The tracks of an arctic hare have indented the sparkling snow of the tundra. Bear cubs are loaded into a Hudson Bay helicopter at Churchill, Manitoba
Bear cubs are loaded into a Hudson Bay helicopter at Churchill, Manitoba Contrasts.
Contrasts. Nature has painted magnificent design in gray and red lichen on a rock in Canada’s north.
Nature has painted magnificent design in gray and red lichen on a rock in Canada’s north. With his black tongue protruding from its mouth, a polar bear strolls along Hudson Bay at dusk.
With his black tongue protruding from its mouth, a polar bear strolls along Hudson Bay at dusk. Sled dogs are kept at the dog compound near Churchill, Manitoba.
Sled dogs are kept at the dog compound near Churchill, Manitoba. A polar bear rests at the end of the day.
A polar bear rests at the end of the day.