Jewel and cubs - Feb 23, 2012You know how some days you’re really busy, but at the end of the day nothing is 'done?' Well, today was such a day. We worked at identifying that bear skeleton found by hunters last fall, but we’re not done enough to share. Hopefully tomorrow. We also worked on data organization and literature reviews to begin a new paper and left it up to the Den-Watch Team to record the Den Cam data.
Jewel tucks bedding in on her cubs - Feb 23, 2012We did catch enough of Jewel's Den Cam to see her tuck bedding in under her and on top of the cubs. It's a rather comical behavior that may be unique to Jewel.
Highlights of yesterday’s Den Cam activities is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HozzUJzKo-Q.
And remember how a couple days ago we said we had the cutest video footage ever? Well, we were wrong. Today’s is even cuter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4p-OtkMk68!
Below is another in the ‘June Walk’ series from 2005.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
Date: July 19, 2005
Two days ago, Sunday the 17th, I located June at 3:08 PM just north of the bay separating the remote section of her territory from the more populated portion. I suspected she was working her way back to the two homes she frequents after being away since July 6th. Last evening at 5:29 PM she was about half a mile away from the homes – and when I checked her signal again at 9:55 PM she was at one of the homes. Lynn Rogers checked on her at 6:00 AM this morning and saw her crossing the road from one home she visits to the other. Likely she had spent the night bedded nearby. Once again I would be spending a day with her after she had been in to feed.
I connected with June at 7:53 AM and she had just left one of the homes. She conveniently crossed Trygg Road right near where I parked. As she walked over to me I noticed how thin she looked – she had finished shedding her winter coat. Her cubs were not with her but showed up soon. I am always at bit surprised at how far apart the family gets – and how nonchalant June is about her cubs. She certainly keeps tabs on them but she definitely is not an over-protective mother.
June covered 0.61 miles (in addition to at least the 0.25 mile she covered earlier) before stopping to rest at 8:31 AM. Of note:
- During this time she mainly traveled and marked her territory by dripping urine as she walked and back-rubbing and straddling trees.
- Early into our walk June lunged toward me when I was unknowingly standing next to a balsam she wanted to back-rub mark.
- June fed some on wild sarsaparilla, hazelnuts, and ant pupae.
- June checked out an old bait site from last fall’s bear hunt – one of at least 3 that where located within her territory.
Their first rest break was long (8:31 AM till 10:39 AM) with more resting than sleeping. June nursed the cubs in a balsam thicket and then rested as they played nearby. Finally the cubs settled down and June groomed Pete as he dozed off to sleep. She then went to sleep using Pete as a pillow and George came over to use June as a pillow. June did not sleep soundly though. Her head jerked up at a float plane going over, bird squawks, etc.
June and her cubs foraged heavily during their next active period (10:39 AM till 1:04 PM) and covered 0.91 miles. Of note:
- June spent 10 minutes playing with her cubs – mostly Pete – at the beginning of this active period.
- Foraging activity was centered in a regenerating clear-cut and pretty well evenly divided between ant pupae, blueberries, and raspberries.
- June fed briefly on wild calla and then sat in the water and rubbed water on her head. Pete joined her in the water and swam around, then came up the bank to huff at me as I videoed them.
- At 11:50 AM June nursed her cubs for 4-minutes then abruptly resumed foraging.
June nursed her cubs at 1:04 PM in a balsam thicket and rested until 2:04 PM before returning to the clear-cut where she resumed foraging. June was active again from 2:04 PM till 3:35 PM – covering 0.64 miles. Of note:
- Again foraging activity was relatively evenly divided between ant pupae and berries.
- June also spent time in a swamp feeding on wild calla lily leaves.
- June and her cubs spent time in a wallow – with June putting muddy water on her head – looking much like she was washing behind her ears.
- As June moved west along the RR grade her cubs disappeared. She hurried back tongue-clicking and ran off into the tangled cedar swamp where they had gone. When I caught up to the family they were playing and continued to play for 13 minutes. June’s travel route seemed to be influenced by the cubs in this case.
Their next rest period (3:35 PM till 4:46 PM) was in a grove of red pine and balsam – a welcome relief from the claustrophobic feeling of the previous balsam thicket rest sites. The family began resting each in their own spot – then one cub went to join the other – then something startled them and they both went to join June – then George startled and ran to the base of a large pine nearer to where I was sitting.
June’s final active period (4:46 PM till 6:36 PM) during our time together was dominated by travel. Though she covered only 0.97 miles, it was nearly in a straight line, rather than the zigzag travel she does while foraging. She is hard to keep up with when she doesn’t stop to forage and I lost her for about 10 minutes during this period. Of note:
- Foraging was mainly on ant pupae in an area that was heavy with wild sarsaparilla last year. This year there are few wild sarsaparilla berries to be found.
- At one point June looked up at Juneberries but did not feed on them.
- When I left June, she and her cubs were headed out into a recent clear-cut.
The cubs are nearly all black now and there are only subtle differences in their facial coloration. Lately Pete has had a small lump on the bridge of his nose near one eye which helps some with identification. I tell them apart mostly by their personalities which have been very different from the start.