Jewel grimaces as she removes her collar - April 10, 2012Lily and Faith surprised us today by moving 0.4 miles from the clover patch to their den in less than 10 minutes. That’s 2.4 miles an hour through the woods, which is 2.4 times faster than we usually see when a bear is on its way somewhere through the woods. They must have been moving fast part of the time. Did they detect a bear and want to get to their secure den?
Handsome Herbie - April 10, 2012We think detecting a bear was the most likely cause of Jewel reacting so strongly yesterday when she and the cubs hustled into their den. Some bears are on the move now. We got a call today from someone who found the biggest bear scat he had ever seen on a road less than a mile from Jewel’s den—evidently a big male on the move. In a month or two, Lily will likely be glad to see him come mating season, but Jewel will remain on guard for anything that might harm her cubs.
Herbie climbs a tiny sapling - April 10, 2012Jewel played wildly with her cubs today, hurrying from one to the other and back to interact with them. We wonder how long she will stay at the den with them. Sometimes it looks like she is trying to lead them away. The question became extra important today when she removed her collar. We dearly hope she remains at the den overnight. Tomorrow, we have a den visit planned. We’ll sit quietly by the den for 6-8 hours to videotape for the record some of her playful behaviors. The cubs have had practically no exposure to people and are past the socialization period. Will they follow Jewel’s lead and come out of the den with her? Will playful Jewel slow down long enough for us to put a new radio-collar on her? She has resisted collars in the past; will she let us collar her this time? The Den Cam will be down for the duration of our visit, but we’ll be sure to clean the lens.
A video of the outside play is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebC5TEOs4Rc, and one of Jewel taking her collar off is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXatxxeoLqE.
Jewel nuzzles Herbie as he climbs - April 10, 2012Meanwhile, Glenn and Nancy and some of the BBC crew will be trekking and canoeing to Cookie’s den—some 14 miles from Jewel’s den—to put a radio-collar on her. Glenn and Nancy know the rather timid Cookie well and have the best chance of success with her.
Half the BBC crew for this shoot were in town last Thursday as is shown in the dinner picture. A skeleton crew of 6 remains. The crew will swell to about 30 in 3 weeks. We’ve never seen such a big crew. We are told this is a major event. We feel honored that the bears brought them to Ely.
BBC Crew Dinner - April 5, 2012More on the volunteers. You can imagine how we count on the Den Watchers to record standardized data 24/7 for a solid publication on denning activities of black bears—something never studied in this detail before. They are coming through again with the experience gained from previous years. 22% were Den-Watchers in 2010 and 2011. 44% were Den-Watchers in 2011, and 31% were new this year. Active Den-Watchers total 94 people in 6 countries and 25 states. Most are 40 to 59 years old. The dedication of these people to take this responsibility year after year is very much appreciated. They are what make the Den Cams science. If they miss a session, they check the archives to fill it in.
Again, we have to say… Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center