Braveheart - Aug 25, 2012 We located Braveheart near the southern edge of her territory. She had been ‘off the map’ for a couple days and we needed to swap out her GPS unit. She was sitting up as we approached but soon lay down again. She was so lethargic she didn’t want to come to us. We went to her to make the swap. It would seem she’s slowing down, but in past years she has given that impression then kept moving rather than denning. We do expect her to den up by the end of September, though, as is usual in years of pregnancies.
Winter coats are growing in fast. This complicates things a bit for us because, as the fur grows, the collars get snug. If the radio-collar gets spun around with the GPS unit under the bear’s chin it doesn’t spin back easily—and the unit does not transmit the bear’s locations from that position. We closely monitor the GPS readings for possible issues with the units.
One-eyed Jack - Aug 25, 2012One-eyed Jack was his usual laid back self as we walked briefly with him and snapped the picture of him drinking from a stream. His heart rate was 88/minute compared with 96/minute on the 19th. 88 is low for him. Is he slowing down already? Or is it just a fluctuation. We’ll look for a trend. Jack is a valuable research male although his neck is too big for him to wear a radio-collar. He is one of the most popular males in mating season, and he trusts us enough to let us walk with him and whatever radio-collared female he is courting. Females he has accompanied include June, Braveheart, Donna, and Dot.
Susan Moloney sent poem number 25 in her series of poems about Lily and her family. This one is more general, though. We love the lyrical rhythm.
Song of the Black Bears
Hear it from the wildwood
Springtime winging 'cross the land,
their song of love and beauty
fills the reborn wonderland.
Hear it from sweet Summer's heart
when birdsong trills their tale;
freedom, joy and family
spill every berried trail.
Hear it while the Autumn winds
sing crisp the clear refrain;
chords of truth and dignity
brim their vast domain.
Hear it when the Northland dreams,
dens in deepest quilts of snow
ringing trust and peace in time
to breathing's ebb and flow.
On rhythmic, breeze-filled, silken nights,
on rays of fairest days,
their majesty resounds in
every mighty note and phrase.
The music is their message
'round the seasons' spinning wheel
transforming hearts who listen
into hopes and dreams made real.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center