Den Cam installed at Lily's denLily and Faith hardly stirred at the sound of “It’s me, bear.” They were busy nursing—a surprise—and they kept doing it. We slid the Den Cam tube into place while Sue watched from New Hampshire and provided feedback on adjustments. The Den Cam is the big white tube to the left in the picture. We installed the Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera where it can swivel to the den entrance and over to a big white pine they bedded next to a lot in the fall.
Engineer Jim Stroner and our new field technician Ted ParvuBill Powers of Pix Controller tested the PTZ camera from Pennsylvania while we were in the field. We slid the microphone down a little crevice where it should get little attention from the bears. A gray cross of smaller boards holds it in place to the right in the picture. Bill Powers of PixController worked from Pennsylvania with Jim Stroner on site to adjust the sound. The picture of the setup was taken from the position of the PTZ camera, so that’s the view we will all get in spring. The white pine is just out of the picture to the right.
Lynn in layers by the solar panels
Big wolf tracks were at the entrance. We wish we had the den cam in a few days ago to catch their reaction to a wolf pack. Maybe the pack will return or maybe they know it’s a secure bear den and nothing to bother about again.
The Lily and Faith Den Cam can be seen at http://www.bear.org/livecams/lily-faith-cam.php .
It was a lot warmer today than the shivering experience of a couple weeks ago. And Lynn was dressed warmer, thanks in part to gifts and hand-me-downs. A group of Lily fans sent him a fleece-sweater that he wears all the time now, and another Lily fan sent a neck warmer that goes will with the sweater. Another fleece layer and a set of long john’s were a gift from Patagonia 21 years ago, still perfect. The coat is a hand-me-down from a vice-president of Elan Ski Company. Lynn loves the coat but is waiting for the vice-president to wear out another one just as good. The hat was designed and made in Ely by polar explorers Paul and Sue Schurke of Wintergreen Designs. Paul was a supporter when Lynn was trying to win sustainable management for Minnesota’s last 2% of white pine trees, which was another case of “first they laugh, then they think, and then they say ‘of course.’ (see www.whitepines.org)
Lynn installing den cam
Ted installing PTZ cameraWe were surprised to find Lily and Faith nursing. We’d heard that only rarely with yearlings before the Den Cams. So the question is, “Do the Den Cams make them nurse more, or did we usually miss it because bears that didn’t trust us would stop nursing before we got close enough to hear it?” We’d say the right answer is the latter, and learning about yearlings nursing is one of the benefits of this trust-based research. We are so glad that a few bears have learned to ignore us and go about their business. Lily is especially good because we spent many hours at the entrance of her mother June’s den when Lily was a newborn cub. Lily got used to us visiting her then and she accepts us at other dens now. What an opportunity!
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center