Skip to content
Tim IrvinTim Irvin

Tim Irvin

Ecologist & Guide

  • Tours and ExpeditionsExpand
    • Spirit Bear Tours
    • Sea Wolf Expeditions
    • Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bears
    • Herring & Wolf Expeditions
  • Field Notes
  • About Tim Irvin
  • Contact
Twitter Instagram
Search
Tim IrvinTim Irvin
Tim Irvin
Ecologist & Guide
Great Bear Rainforest

It’s not all about the bears

ByTim Irvin January 20, 2025March 24, 2025
A grizzly bear standing on a log in the mist in an estuary in a coastal fjord in the Great Bear Rainforest

As with most things, it is the sum of all the parts that truly matters.

Despite the name, in the Great Bear Rainforest, the bears are simply one part of this remarkable place. Even where there are no bears around, just having one’s boots on the ground here is a privilege in and of itself. Some of the best days start out waking up on a boat anchored in a coastal fjord. Heading up on deck with a hot cup of coffee, one is confronted by some of Mother Nature’s finest work. Perhaps there are mountain peaks, a waterfall, mist in the trees, and reflections in the calm water. Maybe an eagle is calling. And, if you are lucky, you spot a grizzly standing on a log when you scan the estuary with binoculars. The bear is a wonderful thing. But it is also just icing on an already magnificent cake.

If you love wildlife and wild places, you will love my email newsletter. It is chock-full of hopeful and inspiring stories and imagery from the wild, and is guaranteed (by me) to make you feel good about this incredible planet we live on. Sign up to stay connected.

* indicates required


 
 


Laaya, a male spirit bear, spotted during a spirit bear tour in the Great Bear Rainforest

Meet Łaaya the spirit bear

Jan 15, 20246 min read

On an overcast September day last fall, I was sitting…

Warrior the spirit bear photographed during a spirit bear tour in the Great Bear Rainforest

Warrior the spirit bear is back!

Sep 10, 20221 min read

This spirit bear has not been seen since 2020, when…

A sea wolf pup crossing a shallow stream in the Great Bear Rainforest

In the company of sea wolf pups

Aug 25, 20221 min read

You take what you get with wolves. Most of the…

A coastal wolf on the mud of the intertidal zone at low tide. Photographed during a coastal wolf tour

Days like this

Jun 5, 20221 min read

Life is full of repetitive and mundane tasks. And, occasionally,…

A school of eulachon swim away in the light green waters of Alaska.

Salvation is a fish

Apr 8, 20219 min read

A fish so fat you can light it with a…

Beautiful unity

Beautiful unity

Oct 7, 20201 min read

When you spend time looking for wolves, most of the…

  • Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 16
  • Next
  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next
Search

Subscribe

Sign up to receive stories, photos, and updates from the Great Bear Rainforest and beyond.

Subscribe

Find out more

  • Home
  • Tours and Expeditions
  • Field Notes
  • Photos
  • About Tim Irvin
  • Contact

Recent articles

  • Spirit bear guide, Marven Robinson, on CBC Radio
  • A grizzly gift
  • Spirit bear and cub
  • The most curious sea wolf
  • Animalscapes

© 2025 Tim Irvin 
Site supported by Pink Sheep Media.

  • Home
  • Tours and Expeditions
    • Spirit Bears
    • Coastal Wolves
    • Coastal Grizzly Bears
    • West Coast Wildlife
    • Polar Bears
  • Field Notes
  • About Tim Irvin
  • Join us
  • Contact