Mariachi Beluga Whale

Thursday, 04 August, 2011 10:26 Written by admin

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Swim with Beluga whales! An Arctic Safari where you can walk with Polar Bears!

How do you pack for a trip to Seal River Heritage Lodge? Just floating an idea for any of our Mexican guests…

Polar Bear Capital: Report from Seal River – Birds, Bears & Belugas

Thursday, 21 July, 2011 14:52 Written by admin

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by Allison Reimer

Peek-a-Boo Polar Bear

It’s been a slower week at the Seal River Heritage Lodge because of the cool and cloudy weather but who can control that?

Thankfully the outdoor conditions haven’t deterred our adventurous polar bears, who have been plentiful for the opening week of Birds, Bears & Belugas.

We had a beautiful, big white bear wander by two days ago and last night we had a visit from a smaller bear. He sniffed around the lodge for quite some time and stood up to peer into the windows every once and a while.

Everyone was very excited – rushing from window to window as quietly as possible so as not to scare him off. Eventually he meandered off to get some rest and once the excitement died down we all followed suit.

: Polar Bear Dune Buggy Camera

Our videographer, Stuart, configured two cameras on top of what resembles a mini dune buggy in attempts to get Polar Bear footage at a closer (but safer for him) distance.

The guests are off on a new adventure today – a trip out to explore the tundra flats. We also have a group of travel agents from around the world visiting us for lunch today, courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

Thank You!

Would you like Red or White wine with your Polar Bear – watching?

Thursday, 14 July, 2011 02:55 Written by admin

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Polar bear shops for wine at Banville & Jones Wine Co. to celebrate Food Day Canada 2011

Polar bear shopping at Banville & Jones Wine Co. in Winnipeg

Churchill Wild has partnered with Banville & Jones Wine Co. to celebrate Food Day Canada 2011 on July 30 with a wine pairing event at their remote Seal River Heritage Lodge on the coast of Hudson Bay.

“It’s an honor to partner with Churchill Wild for Food Day Canada,” said Jill Kwiatkoski, Assistant Buyer/Manager at Banville & Jones.

“They are using beautiful, clean, fresh food that pairs perfectly with the Canadian-themed wines. The wines for the event are produced by smaller Artisan style wine-producers from B.C. and Ontario, and are very eco-friendly, which fits perfectly with Churchill Wild’s philosophy. It’s an amazing menu with stunning Canadian wines.”

Churchill Wild participated in Food Day Canada 2010 and is proud to be back this year with partner Banville & Jones. Five different red and white wines will be served with a five-course meal prepared from the award-winning Canadian cookbook series Blueberries and Polar Bears.

“These are unique and exceptional Canadian wines,” said Rick Kemp, Director of Marketing & Communications for Churchill Wild.”We’re excited about partnering with Banville & Jones for Food Day Canada this year. It was a hit with guests who were with us last year for the Birds, Bears & Belugas adventure and we expect it to be even better this year with Banville & Jones and Jeanne’s new gourmet kitchen.”

Seal River Lodge

Churchill Wild, which owns and operates Canada’s premier remote polar bear lodges for viewing polar bears in their true environment, hauled materials over the Hudson Bay sea ice this spring to build the new kitchen at Seal River Heritage Lodge. A new dining room with huge picture windows overlooking Hudson Bay was built last year, and the new kitchen this year complements it perfectly, offering spectacular polar bear viewing – sometimes even while eating dinner!

You can keep up with Churchill Wild happenings through their Newsletter or even better, by socializing with them on Facebook . It’s a rare and special feeling to watch the world’s largest land carnivore up close and personal in their natural environment, and these great white bears will soon be included in the Species at Risk Act.

Banville & Jones Wine Co. was founded in 1999 by sisters, Lia Banville and Tina Jones. The Tuscan-inspired wine boutique features all the best elements of a world-class wine store, with over 3000 sku’s of wine, gifts and gourmet items from around the world. Banville & Jones is the largest private wine seller in Manitoba, and has been named among the top 50 wine retailers in Canada by Wine Access magazine.

New Dining Room and Kitchen at Seal River Lodge

Dedicated to wine education and the enjoyment of wine in an elegant and approachable atmosphere, Banville and Jones offers numerous in-store events including cooking classes, wine tastings and seminars and produces a magazine, a newsletter and a wine blog. They are also very active online. To learn more about Banville and Jones Wine Co. worldwide or in Winnipeg, please visit their Web site at: http://www.banvilleandjones.com or check them out on Facebook.

Food Day Canada is all about Canada – Canadian producers, chefs, restaurants and you, with local ingredients from backyards to fields to fresh clean northern waters. The largest food-related event in the country, Food Day Canada was founded by renowned culinary activist, educator, and writer Anita Stewart.

Now in its eleventh year, Food Day Canada honors establishments, restaurants an individuals who best exemplify the philosophy of “local, regional, seasonal” by presenting awards in several unique categories.

Churchill Polar Bear Yawning on Hudson Bay Coast near Seal River

Waiter... more wine please...

Numerous restaurants across Canada will be involved in the Food Day Canada celebration, and bronze, silver, and gold awards sponsored by leaders in the Canadian food industry will be presented for exemplary skill, creativity and conscientiousness.

For additional information about participating restaurants, partners, recipes, award-winners and more please visit the Food Day Canada Web site at www.FoodDay.ca

Two ways to stay in touch with Churchill Wild, ask us questions, get updates and more…

Socialize with Churchill Wild on Facebook
Subscribe to the Churchill Wild Newsletter

Beluga Whales in Churchill – 10 Things You Might Not Know

Tuesday, 12 July, 2011 02:16 Written by admin

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Swimming with Beluga Whales in Hudson Bay near Seal River

Beluga whales are friendly!

by Vanessa Desorcy

Most of the time, polar bears overshadow other arctic wildlife on our Churchill Wild adventures. Beluga whales are another species prevalent around Churchill in the summer however, and since they’re a popular part of our Birds, Bears & Belugas adventure, we thought it might be nice to share with you a few things that we find interesting about these friendly-faced mammals.

While you likely know that beluga whales are white, it’s unlikely you’re aware that the name ‘beluga’ comes from the Russian word “Belukha” which means white.
Beluga whales are also known as “sea canaries” due to the unique and varied sounds they make. On our Birds, Bears & Belugas adventure at Seal River Heritage Lodge, we offer guests a chance to snorkel with the belugas, and those who have done so can testify to the fact that humming and chirping attract these friendly creatures!
Ghostly White - Beluga Whales in Hudson Bay

Baby belugas are born gray and turn white as they age. Due to their darker color, they are thought to be more difficult to spot by predators such as polar bears and killer whales. Most belugas are completely white around the age of 13 when sexual maturity is reached.
Belugas are very sociable and as such, their sense of touch is very important. It is not unusual for belugas to come close enough to the boats and snorkelers to be touched.
Beluga whales undergo a seasonal molt, unlike other cetaceans which shed continuously. They rub against rocky river bottoms to shed their skin, which could be why they’re often found in shallow water in the summertime.
Belugas, like other toothed whales, have a life expectancy of 30-40 years, nearly half that of the average life expectancy of most baleen whales.
Beluga Ballet - Photo Credit: Kike Calvo

In the summer, belugas are often found in warm-water estuaries and river basins, making our Lodge, located near the Seal River estuary, an ideal place to view them.
The seven vertebrae in a beluga’s neck are not fused, which gives them the ability to turn their heads and even nod!
The lack of a dorsal fin enables beluga whales to swim just below ice sheets to locate breathing holes. Their lack of a dorsal fin also means less surface area, minimizing heat loss when in Arctic waters.
Spot the difference: Male belugas can be distinguished from females by the upward curve at the top of their flippers as well as by their size. Adult males can weigh up to 1500 kg, while mature females weigh in at about 1350 kg.

Oh, and one more thing we’ve learned from guests on our Birds, Bears and Belugas adventures – swimming with Belugas is a fun!

Hauling Jeanne’s new gourmet kitchen through polar bear country and across the sea ice to Seal River Lodge

Wednesday, 04 May, 2011 00:47 Written by admin

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by Mike Reimer

Sunshine in polar bear country!

Well folks, once again man pitted his slightly aging wits against the elements of Hudson Bay and survived. Thank goodness we were blessed with exceptionally good weather and sea ice conditions that were perfect for transporting materials to the lodges from Churchill.

Jeanne’s gourmet kitchen equipment and cupboards had been shipped from Winnipeg to Churchill by train a month prior and now all that remained was the “simple” task of getting them over the rugged Hudson Bay ice to the polar bear lodge.

All of our winter hauls involve a high level of adventure including high tide overflow, jumbled pack ice on Hudson Bay, raging blizzards, wind chills down to -50 degrees, marauding polar bears, frozen limbs, broken equipment and workers that actually wanted to eat more than once a day.

I think we could sell this as an “Extreme Adventure” to polar bear land or maybe do one of those reality TV shows! Fortunately other than some long, hard days in the saddle, the “extreme conditions” gave us a break this year and almost everything went off without a hitch.

A welcome fire on a frigid day!

The Hauling Team consisted of Mike Reimer, Dave Schellenberg, Fraser Issac and Steve Toews, ably supported by Doug Webber as chief cook and bottle washer. Due to the relatively light load (7000 kgs) we elected to transport everything via snowmobile and komatik rather than firing up the old D6 Cat we normally use.

Freighting went well, weather was brilliant and all pieces arrived safe and sound after a two day adventure. Once the hauling was done the real worked commenced, that being the business of collecting our supply of firewood.

Visitors to our polar bear lodges will quickly see that this in itself is quite a feat, as there is hardly a stick in sight! Luckily, travel and exploration inland by snowmobile usually yields some pretty good stands of dead timber for burning, some of it over 300 years old!

Fraser and Steve had a tough time keeping up with the old guys and probably won’t care to see a wood haul for a bit, at least not until next year.

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