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Tim IrvinTim Irvin

Tim Irvin

Ecologist & Guide

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Tim IrvinTim Irvin
Tim Irvin
Ecologist & Guide
Spirit bear on a mossy log in the rainforest.

Ecologist and wildlife guide

I am a naturalist first.

I explore nature and promote wildlife conservation through research, photography, writing, and wilderness expeditions.

I am also a guide and the Director of Wildlife Journeys, a small wildlife tour company that leads trips focussing on wolves, spirit bears, grizzlies, and more in the Great Bear Rainforest.

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If you love wildlife and wild places, then I have the email newsletter you’ve been waiting for. In each issue, I curate a selection of stories, images, and videos from the wild to inject a little wonder into your day to leave you feeling good about this beautiful planet.

Tours and Expeditions

Spirit bears

A spirit bear on a rocky stream, with a fish in its mouth.

During these tours, we explore lush river valleys in search of spirit, or Kermode, bears in a place that National Geographic has called the “Wildest Place in North America.” Travelling with Marven Robinson of the Gitga’at First Nation, we will spend all of our time in the very heart of spirit bear territory seeking out these extraordinary and rare white bears.

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Coastal wolves

A wolf laying on the beach in front of the ocean.

In a world dominated by human landscapes, the wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest is a refuge for wildlife, including the wolf. In the words of eminent scientist Dr. Paul Paquet, “the remote ocean archipelago of the Great Bear Rainforest comprises North America’s most unusual and one of its most pristine wolf populations.”  In this expedition-style trip we offer the extraordinary opportunity to photograph these wild coastal wolves.

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West coast herring expeditions

A wolf standing on a sandy beach by the ocean.

The spring herring spawn is one of nature’s great wildlife spectacles. It may be less known that the annual salmon runs the west coast is famous for, but it attracts a profusion of marine and terrestrial predators alike. We are offering the only multi-day tour of this remarkable event on the remote west coast of Vancouver Island. This is the perfect way to shake off the winter cobwebs by immersing yourself in some of Mother Nature’s finest work.

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Coastal Grizzly Bears

Grizzly bear in the an estuary in the Great Bear Rainforest

The Kutzeymateen is home to one of the most dense populations of grizzly bears in North America and is the very best place in Canada for springtime grizzly bear viewing and photography.  During this tour, we will stay in a quaint floating lodge situated in a beautiful fjord. Just spending time in this place is worth the trip. The scenery is spectacular, the food is delicious and the photography opportunities are endless

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Post List #1

Natural History

Can We Put a Value on Nature? Should We?

ByTim IrvinFeb 1, 20152 min read
European honey bee pollinating a peach flower
How much is nature worth? One 1997 estimate put its value at $142.7 trillion. But what about those people in China who pollinate apple blossoms by hand? In this episode of Radiolab, Jad and Robert talk with some of my favourite authors, including Carl Zimmer and J.B. Mackinnon, and discover that this simple question – how much is nature worth? – is not very easy to answer. Photo by flagstaffotos.com.au Canon 20D + Sigma 150mm f/2.8
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Wildlife Tours

Grizzly Expectations.

ByTim IrvinDec 7, 20141 min read
A grizzly bear swimming past zodiac
Sometimes unexpected things happen. When this grizzly bear decided to swim across the river I don’t think it expected that the current would push it right past our zodiac that was anchored mid-channel…
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Photography

View From My Office Today

ByTim IrvinSep 20, 20141 min read
female grizzly bear chasing a chum salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest
Today was a good day. It was the kind of day that makes a guy feel pretty darn lucky to be a bear guide. As far as jobs go, it is a good gig. I know I waxed all eloquent about rain in my last post. And it is all true. But there is a place for sun. Especially for action shots of things like grizzlies chasing salmon…
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Outdoor Adventure

In Praise of Rain (and Orcs)

ByTim IrvinSep 20, 20142 min read
Bald Eagle taking flight
I’ve been in the Great Bear Rainforest for two and a half weeks now and it has only rained once. But I have been hoping for rain. The way the mist and clouds mingle with the mountains on rainy days makes me feel like I’m somewhere in Middle Earth…
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Great Bear Rainforest

Dispatch from the Great Bear Rainforest

ByTim IrvinSep 14, 20143 min read
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Twelve years ago I arrived in the Great Bear Rainforest for my first job as a wildlife guide. I was a seasoned field biologist and had spent many seasons over mountains and tundra, but the coast was a whole new world for me. My boat skills were rusty, I knew almost nothing about the ocean and tides – and very little about grizzly bears. But it was not difficult to decipher that I was in a very special place. And it did not take me long to fall in love with it.
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Outdoor Adventure

New Gallery: Snake River Yukon

ByTim IrvinApr 24, 20143 min read
New Gallery: Snake River Yukon
Last summer my partner Heidi and I went on a fabulous three week canoe trip on the Snake River in the Yukon. The last time I visited the Yukon, I was a much younger man. 18 years younger to be precise. After a season of tree planting in Ontario I was looking for an adventure before university resumed in September. My plan was to paddle 700 km down the Teslin River into the Yukon River to Dawson City by myself…
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Recent articles

  • The Wild Life of Spirit Bears
  • Grizzly dreams
  • Coastal Ghosts
  • Spirit bear enigma
  • Spirit bear guide, Marven Robinson, on CBC Radio

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