How do we know a bear fed on acorns in this tree?This morning, Woods Lake was 90% ice-free. By 6:40 PM, it was totally ice-free. Eagles cruised over it, presumably looking for fish, but they were too late.
The lack of green sprouts in the woods is bringing white-tailed deer into Ely to feed on lawns and stand up on their hind legs to reach bird feeders. We wonder why bears aren’t doing the same.
Jewel's family back togetherWe caught up with Jewel today and Herbie is back with the family. Another piece of data toward our paper on family break-up and mother/young relations. Again, Jewel and family was deep in the woods where there is little to eat. She knows where the feeding stations are in the community. Yet, her entire GPS data set for this late spring shows no visits to feeding stations and only one brief stop at a remote residence. Normally, vegetation would be emerging from the forest floor by now, and young greens would be abundant—a preferred food. 
BraveheartThis year, nothing has emerged from the forest floor that we have found. Why she has not led her mobile family to a feeding station is beyond us. All we can do is observe and report.
Braveheart's cub #1Next, we discovered that Braveheart has moved her cubs 2.4 miles from their den in the last few days, making it easier for us to connect with them. The den was on the other side of a deep river the short way and an exhausting distance through the woods the long way. The walk looked long but possible today, so we made the connection to give her a GPS unit and count her cubs. Only two voices had been heard in their den back when the river was frozen and the den was more accessible. We wondered about the two voices because Braveheart has always had 3 cubs, even in the first of her 4 litters.
Braveheart's cub #2Today, high in a white pine located in the midst of a rare (for this area) stand of oak, we could still only see 2 cubs. We’re becoming more confident that there are only two. Like Jewel, Braveheart was far from any residence. An older dropping near the pine appeared to contain snowfleas, and a fresh one showed vegetation that could only be tough old sedges left over from last year—not a preferred food.
Braveheart lies in shadow of white pine where her cubs areBraveheart is especially expressive when she has cubs. We can see how mothers with cubs get their reputations, but again the final result was the same as usual—no problem. We’re glad to have beautiful Braveheart sending GPS signals now, bringing the total of GPSed bears to 6.
The hours of walking in rough terrain should make for a good night’s sleep and a good day tomorrow.
Although 3 shallow lakes have opened up that we know of, the USFS flight report for today has all the good fishing lakes still ice-covered with the fishing opener starting on Saturday.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.