Vancouver Island Travel Forum

Hi there

My boyfriend and I are coming over to Canada for 3 weeks at the end of May/beginning of June. We are hoping to do a lot of wildlife photography while we are over. I was wondering if anyone is able to give me any tips on where I can find: Black Bears, Orcas, Humpbacks, Gray Whales, Bald Eagles and Tufted Puffins? It is always helpful to hear from people who live there, or who have been who may have some suggestions of out of the way spots or local tips!

Thanks in advance
Antz

Bald eagles are everywhere along the coast, all over Vancouver Island and especially between Vancouver and Whistler. I often see them in downtown Vancouver. If you get a chance to get out to UBC campus (Museum of Anthropology is a must-see there), there are often bald eagles nesting in the cedars along Marine Drive there. Very easy to see them.

Humpbacks and Grey whales can be seen in the open Pacific off the west coast of Vancouver Island. They are only seen during migrations so it's very seasonal.

Orcas live in the waters all through the year and you can guarantee seeing them by going whale watching out of Victoria of Vancouver. They tend to stay on the east side of Vancouver Island in between sheltered inlets in the Gulf Islands/San Juan Islands.

Black bear sightings are unpredictable, but they can be spotted in the local mountains so you don't have to go far, but it's a matter of being at the right place at the right time - it's chancey.

I've never seen tufted puffins, ever.

Another thing to consider. Since you'll be in this part of the world in late May/early June, if you're in Vancouver, go to Stanley Park. There's a restaurant called The Fish House and tennis courts which is located between Second Beach and English Bay. Next to the tennis courts and the Fish House are a grove of tall trees used for nesting by hundreds of Great Blue herons. It's quite a site to see them like that in those trees. You'll know when you're in the right area, because it will smell like low tide. ;)

You can spot a number of different animals such as bear and deer where I live up north here, either along the highway or the rivers. The drive is long, over 12 hours, but there are many cheap flights to a city called Prince George which would shorten the amount of driving you would do. From there, you can go in any direction. On the Queen Charlotte Islands you will find great amounts of wildlife there, such as birds, bears, and deer. There are grey and humpback whales that travel past the islands and Prince Rupert on their way to summer homes in Alaska. Both Prince Rupert and the Charlottes have companies that will take you on tours of the area. Near Prince Rupert is a place called the Khutzeymateen, which is a grizzly bear sanctuary and loaded with wildlife. Hope all this helps!

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/parks/?id=554

Seeing tufted puffins from land is rare. There is a huge nesting colony on Triangle Island in the Scott Islands off the coast of northwestern Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, it is not accessible to the public. It seems that if you had access to a boat you could view wildlife from offshore, but this would probably take more effort than it is worth. http://www.vancouverisland.com/parks/?id=353 http://www.pyr.ec.gc.ca/scottislands/index_e.htm
For seeing tufted puffins, you may have some luck in the area around Tofino on Vancouver Island. Check out this link: http://www.justbirding.com/bird-homeset.html I saw quite a few gray whales on a boat trip from Tofino to Hot Springs Cove and I'm pretty sure it was in May/June. As Carmanah mentioned, you can see orcas on whale watching tours out of Victoria.
Carmanah - that great blue heron nesting site sounds awesome!
I've only driven through the area where Muzzaa lives, but the grizzly bear sanctuary seems promising! About 4-5 hours drive north of where Muzzaa talked about, you could visit the southernmost town in Alaska- Hyder. It is 2 miles past Stewart, BC. There is also a large population of black and grizzly bears here. To get the best viewing you'd have to go between July and September when they are fishing salmon out of Fish Creek (a few miles past Hyder, Alaska) - there could be 50 bears at one time. When I was last there in 2001, they actually had brief wolf sightings at the creek as well. Also bald eagles feed on the fish parts leftover from the bears. Even though you won't see bears fishing in May/June you may still have some luck. On the drive to Stewart and Hyder I saw about a half dozen black bears randomly on the road side at the end of May. Also, on another visit in June, I saw a mother grizzly with 2 cubs at the Fish Creek site - just passing through. Another grizzly was feeding on foliage on the side of the road between Meziadin Junction and Stewart. This is also a very scenic area with mountains and glaciers. Bear Glacier and Salmon Glacier are worthwhile to see.
With 3 weeks you could also consider going to the Rockies for more wildlife photography opportunities.

For seeing wildlife on Vancouver Island, I'd recommend either the area near Telegraph Cove (Port McNeil, Port Hardy, etc.) as well as the area near Tofino.

Telegraph Cove has what I consider the best whale watching tour on Vancouver Island. The company that does it is called Stubbs Island Whale Watching (or something like that) and there are many trips daily. It's not quite as commercialized as the ones coming out of Victoria and you'll be more in the true wilderness. In addition to the whales, the drive up from Nanaimo (around 4+ hours), you will likely encounter bald eagles, bears, deer, etc. If you need more information on Stubbs Island Whale Watching, check out their website.

As for Tofino, this also will enable you to take great pictures of wildlife such as bald eagles, deer, bears, etc. You'll also get to drive through Cathedral Grove which has some amazing old growth forest. Tofino/Ucluelet area also has lots of old growth forest where you'll see all sorts of wildlife, birds, etc.

there are two areas that are still quite wild on vancouver island that I like one is Zeballos and the other is Tahsis. there was a young orca living in the harbour at gold river that was so tame they feed it beer and fish and chips unfortunately it met a ships propeller.. have a good trip.