Lucky's new den - Feb 20, 2012
Lucky's new den - Feb 20, 2012Lucky has settled in a protected snowless area under an overturned stump. It looks like some of the wild dens we’ve seen. Meanwhile, Honey seems to be enjoying having the big den to herself. A video of Honey playing in the den with her pony ball is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_E5WqIkMkM&;feature=youtu.be.
Jewel tends a cub - Feb 20, 2012The Den Cams are all down on WildEarth, which means they’re down on the Bear Center/WRI websites, too, but they’re up on UStream. Fortunately they are being archived, which means the Den Watch Team won’t miss any data.
A video for Jewel and cubs from yesterday is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q0fEqHIlYss.
And... a video with "the cutest footage we have had to date" has just been posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO41FIrX-uY.
Today was a writing and data entry day at WRI.
Below is another walk with June and her cubs from 2005.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
Date: July 6, 2005
Lynn Rogers monitored June’s activity throughout the night – finding her active between 11:04 PM and 1:25 AM and likely feeding at a feeding station. She and her cubs began to roam at 5:04 AM this morning – again feeding at a feeding station then crossing the road to feed at another feeding station. June crossed back over towards the first feeding station just before I took over the watch at 7:17 AM. I was planning to spend another day with her but didn’t want to join up with her while she was at someone’s house, so I waited.
June’s signal was coming from the direction of a feeding station but the signal strength was fading so I set off to locate her. I found her about a quarter mile away just across Trygg Road. At 7:45 AM I parked my car and grabbed my gear to begin my day with her. To my surprise she quickly ate the scat-marker-laden marshmallows and the nuts I offered. I figured she might be full after visiting the feeders.
She seemed quite nervous when we met up and this nervousness continued for the next half hour. I suspect another bear was in the area. Occasionally she will lunge and blow at me during our walks – but this time she was lunging and blowing away from me and toward something else. At one point I thought I heard another bear moan but the sound was not repeated and I cannot be sure. June was moving cautiously – taking slow, careful, quiet steps. I take care to give her space and be very quiet when she behaves this way as I know she is listening intently and I don’t want to interfere. At one point during her nervousness her cubs scrambled up a red pine – perhaps at some signal from her. June proceeded to the RR grade sniffing branches and bushes intently. Finally she relaxed and headed back to the cub tree – tongue-clicking to her cubs. Contrary to popular belief, cubs tend to come down from trees when they are ready to – not when mom calls them down. June wandered off and foraged on honeysuckle, raspberries, blueberries and wild lettuce before coming back to the cub tree where she rested until the cubs came down at 10:17 AM to nurse.
June covered 1.09 miles between 10:24 AM and 12:08 PM when the family rested in a balsam thicket.
Of note during this time:
- June and the cubs foraged for ant pupae among the stones at the edge of the RR grade. June also fed on red clover blossoms, wild lettuce, and cow wheat, as well as a few Juneberries and unripe raspberries.
- June’s first three scats of the day were too loose to collect. The cub scats were loose as well.
- The period between 10:47 AM and 11:35 AM was dominated by play activity between June and Pete. He would hide beneath a log to bat and bite at June and she would respond in kind. Pete would eventually run off but June would seek him out and resume the play session. George was generally off doing his own thing during this time – at one point feeding on deer droppings.
June and the cubs rested from 12:08 PM until 1:04 PM when they headed back toward the RR grade. They covered another 0.87 miles before they rested again at 2:50 PM.
During this time:
- June stood on 2 legs to bite off and consume the end of a green red pine cone.
- While the morning active period was dominated by play, foraging was the main activity during the afternoon period – and ant pupae were the main target of the foraging.
- June also fed on wild calla, hazelnuts, blueberries, gooseberries and raspberries.
The family rested in another balsam thicket from 2:50 PM till 3:57 PM. This rest break began and ended with nursing. June had traveled 1.24 miles after this rest break when I left the family at 6:50 PM.
Of note:
- This was another period of intense foraging activity – mostly on ant pupae in an old clear-cut. Blueberries and unripe raspberries were also eaten in the clear-cut.
- June fed on cattail stems in a wet area at the edge of the RR grade. She bit at the base and pulled the stem free of the root. She repeatedly bit to crush the stem and then pulled it through her front teeth to strip the pulp from the stringy fibers. At one point she sat back and held the cattail in both paws as she fed – looking very ‘panda-like’.
- While June was feeding at the edge of the cattails – just down-slope from the RR grade – an ATV sped past. June watched it pass and I don’t think the rider was aware of our presence.
- Another ATV was approaching as June walked the RR grade. This one slowed but did not stop. June and her cubs bolted off the RR grade into a swamp to the north. There they fed on ant pupae in the sedge mounds.
- At one point June fed on blueberries at the edge of a bog. I recognized the place as one where she had fed on blueberry blossoms earlier this year.
- At 5:34 PM June began nursing her cubs in yet another balsam thicket. She abruptly cut off the nursing and walked away with the cubs at her heals complaining. As soon as she sat down again they tried to nurse – but again she broke off the nursing and began to forage.
June was headed back east along the RR grade when I left her at 6:50 PM. I assumed she would head back to a feeding station to feed – but when I checked her location later that evening I found she had crossed to the south of the RR grade and continued her westerly movement back out into her territory.