Alone in the Arctic (on the Dirtbag Diaries)
This is a story of caribou, poop, and a little notion called biophilia, all wrapped up within a seven-week solo canoe expedition in the Arctic. This was my third canoe expedition in the Barren Lands…
Author: Tim Irvin
Tim Irvin is a naturalist and guide, and the Director of Wildlife Journeys, a wildlife tourism company that leads expeditions in the Great Bear Rainforest.
Meet Łaaya
On an overcast September day last fall, I was sitting with a group of guests by a creek in the Great Bear Rainforest. Everyone was eager to see a white bear, but we were not…
Animalscapes
My favourite wildlife photos tend to be the ones that show the animal in their environment. Some people call these kinds of images “animalscapes.”
It’s not all about the bears
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 a part of the grandeur of this special…
The mind of a wolf
When I took this photo, the tide was out, giving this coastal wolf a large expanse of tidal flats to travel over. It could have easily avoided us by keeping its distance, or by simply…
Wolves in the mist
We woke to heavy fog on this morning. Sitting in camp drinking coffee we felt like our chances of finding a wolf were just about nil. Then we heard howling in the distance.
The lungs of the rainforest
This is one of my favourite places. With the mist that often hangs in the air from the falls, it feels like the lungs of the rainforest. The character of this spot changes dramatically with water levels. When the salmon are running and the water levels are much higher than in this photo, I love to just sit and watch the fish leaping up the falls.
Warrior is back!
This spirit bear has not been seen since 2020, when she was picked up on a trial camera. To say we are excited and relieved to know she is alive and well is an extraordinary understatement.
In the company of wolf pups
You take what you get with wolves. Most of the time what you get is a lot of waiting and time to contemplate things. If you’re paying attention, there is always something to see. So all the waiting is okay. But when a curious wolf pup appears out of nowhere and trots past, well, that’s another thing entirely.
Days like this
Life is full of repetitive and mundane tasks. And, occasionally, also encounters like this.
Fortress of the Grizzly
20 years ago, I cut my teeth as a Great Bear Rainforest bear guide running grizzly bear tours in coastal estuaries. Spring on the British Columbia coast is glorious. There is nothing like the sweet fragrance and vibrant greens of spring, mingled with birdsong, snow-capped mountains, and the sight of grizzly bears amidst all.
Salvation is a fish
A fish so fat you can light it with a match, eulachon have been a critical part of Coastal First Nations culture for hundreds of generations.
Beautiful unity
When you spend time looking for wolves, most of the time you end up watching other things instead. On this evening, it was sandpipers. Semipalmated or Western? In the fading light, I couldn’t be sure, and it didn’t really matter. It was good enough to simply watch them wheel and swoop in unison, each bird exquisitely sensitive to its neighbour, each responding to the smallest flicker of a wing.
Embracing mystery
One of the things that fascinates me about nature is all the things we don’t know. There is still so much mystery out there. As my Dad likes to say “ there are more questions…
Salmon are for the birds
You may be aware of the tight connections between salmon, forests and bears. But have you ever thought about the connections between salmon and songbirds? Perhaps it’s time you did?