Big Harry Lynn worked at writing today, but Sue played hooky. Her sister arrived from Alaska for a short visit, so fieldwork will take a back seat to catching up with family for a couple days.
The boundary of Ursula’s territory is about 3 miles from the homes in Eagles Nest Township where bears are welcomed. This evening, Ursula and her 3 cubs visited one of the feeding stations for the first time this summer. It will be interesting to see how long they stay in the area before heading back for her territory. We’re hoping a homeowner has the opportunity to determine the sex of her cubs, because we’ve not been able to get close enough to them in the woods. The cub that sticks close to Ursula is a female, but we have no clue about the others.
Several mature males continue to visit the field station regularly. Each year we’re amazed how quickly they put on weight—up to 7 pounds a day—once mating season ends. We expect they will disappear as usual in a few weeks.
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.