Faith's den under a white pine - Nov 19, 2012 It looks like Faith found a den she likes—under the roots of a white pine at the edge of an alder swamp. She has raked bedding into it and is nearly obscured behind a wall of leaves and grass. It’s in a lowland that’s connected to the lowland where she was born 0.2 miles away a couple years ago. If this den should flood like her birth den did, she can exit and snooze on top of the roots where the photo shows she has been resting a bit this fall. The photos also show how thoroughly she has closed the entrance with bedding. Her back end with its dense fur blocks what little opening remains. She has an unusually snug den that may not be as cold as the outside air.
Faith behind a wall of bedding - Nov 19, 2012She never moved or vocalized while we documented her den location and made a photographic record of the type of den. It’s about a quarter mile from the den she dug earlier but never added any bedding to.
Glacial erratic - Nov 19, 2012Not far from the den, we noticed a glacial erratic—huge boulders set here and there by the melting glaciers thousands of years ago. This boulder has weathered and split over the years.
Buck rub on sapling - Nov 19, 2012A mile from the Research Center, we saw a sapling jack pine that a white-tailed buck recently marked by rubbing its antlers in preparation for mating season, which is happening now. This ‘buck rub’ was made close enough to the end of deer season (yesterday) that we might see the buck this winter.
NABC construction - Nov 19, 2012At the Bear Center, Ted is back in his chalet den after his walk on thin ice two days ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv44Fe8xmTo. Today, the pond is ice-free. Lucky is in his small bunker as usual, and Honey is still in the wooden window den.
The forms and rebar are ready for pouring cement for the foundation tomorrow. The photo shows a tiny speck of light on the upper corner post of the viewing balcony. That’s the Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) pond camera that will pan 270 degrees to show the cement being poured tomorrow and any bears that walk by. Honey may exit her wooden window den temporarily with the noise of the cement conveyor tomorrow. We hate to disturb her. She probably won’t understand that it’s all for the good of bears in the long run.
Your Christmas orders are pouring in. Thank you! The most popular items are the informative 2013 Shadow’s Clan calendar, the Holiday Cards featuring little Fern, the six 2012 Collector Series ornaments, the new blue fleece NABC logo jacket, the new t-shirt, and the bear blanket motif socks.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center