Loon spreading its wings - 8-10-15Holly dug what could be the beginnings of a den today. That reminded me about June digging a den on July 19, 2004 where she would gave birth to Pete and George six months later.
Holly with dirt on her faceFollowing last month’s low precipitation (31% below average), bear foods have declined. Looking about today, I saw a few chokecherries on a sapling a bear had pulled down. Pincherries and juneberries have passed. The raspberries I saw were shriveled. I didn’t see any hazelnuts. I wasn’t in a place to check for blueberries, wild sarsaparilla berries, or ant reproduction (the latter is hard to check in any case). A moderate crop of round-leaf dogwood berries is coming on. Food was scarce where I looked. No wonder so many bears are being seen at community feeding stations. Baiting starts today.
A hungry herring gull is tapping on the window. I got up and gave it a hot dog.
During the pontoon ride with the last Bear Course group (August 10), we watched the loon family feed their two chicks. These are the same chicks we showed riding on their mother’s back on July 14 when they were only a few days old. The parents mostly brought little minnows. Then a parent made a 25-30 yard dash just under the surface, swirl the water at the point of the catch, and come up with a perch or walleye about 8 inches long. Underwater, the loon streaked by the pontoon with its wings tucked tight to its body and the powerful feet moving fast. A chick tried over and over to swallow the big fish. The chick thrashed the water trying to grip it just right. It pointed the fish straight up and made swallowing movements. Nothing worked. Each time the chick had to eject the fish. Finally, the chick abandoned it, whereupon one of the adults swallowed it. The chick stood up to shake the water off its wings like adults do. Exciting to see so close with the loons ignoring us. Group participants captured the action in outstanding pictures.
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| Loon underwater - 8-10-15 | Chick trying to eat fish - 8-10-15 | Chick eating fish - 8-10-15 |
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| Holly is working on a new den | ||
Last night I said no one saw Juliet after we removed her radio-collar on June 28, 2014. Actually, she was last reported three weeks later on July 19.
Yesterday, a resident saw one of the two motherless cubs try to join Shadow and her little cub and get rebuffed by Shadow. This time of year, mother black bears don’t readily adopt cubs and have been known to kill them in other studies. Today, only one of the motherless cubs was seen. I checked the woods in that area but saw nothing.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.