Each year we keep a running tally of all the wildlife we see during our Tundra Buggy excursions into the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. We do this so we can compare year over year how much wildlife we see in order to have an understanding of how populations in the north are faring, and so that we can share with our guests what they might expect to see when they join us on a Tundra Buggy excursion. Note that these are the number of sightings, not the number of individual animals.
Below is our list of top ten wildlife sightings recorded in 2015. For comparison, check out our 2014 Top Ten List.
Top Ten Wildlife Sightings in 2015
1. Polar Bears: 430
©Toby Lacey
2. Snow Bunting*: 250+
©Alex Mueller
3. Willow Ptarmigan: 90
©JP McCarthy
4. Snowy Owl: 33
©Carol D.
5. Snow Goose: 31
©Frontiers North Adventures
6. Canada Goose: 21
©Frontiers North Adventures
7. Tundra Swan: 18
©Frontiers North Adventures
8. Sandhill Crane: 16
©Frontiers North Adventures
9. Arctic Fox: 12
©Simon Gee/CanukImages.com
10. Arctic Hare: 8
©Doug Ross
Honourable Mention: Gyr Falcon - 5
©Simon Gee/CanukImages.com
*Often these birds fly in flocks that are too large to count, so our guides and drivers give a rough estimate of numbers rather than an exact number.
Main image: © Jim Baldwin