Lily at rock den - October 29, 2013 Was Lynn right to say Lily had first dibs on the deep rock den because she had used it with Faith a couple winters ago? Judy Thon had a different idea. She said whose territory is it in—June’s or Lily’s? Lynn checked with Sue. Do the GPS location from this past year put the deep rock den more in Lily’s or June’s territory? June’s. Cole and Ember should have had first dibs.
Lily & Ellie in rock den
October 29, 2013That adds another point to ponder about Lily’s decision to use the deep rock den. She was the last of the radio-collared bears to den, denning later than nearly all the bears studied in northeastern Minnesota for over four decades. Maybe she was reluctant to intrude into June’s territory and decided to do it only at the last minute, so to speak, when her body was slowing down and she really needed to den up. Her heart rate on October 29, less than 3 days after arriving at the den by 8:22 on October 26 was only 56/minute. That’s down from 86/min on July 28 and 102/min on August 12 this year.
Log near Lily's den - October 29, 2013Lily, Ellie, and Eli might not be the rightful owners of the den this year unless we ascribe to might making right in the bear world, which is probably a big reason they are so driven to eat and grow to become mighty.
Woods Lake - October 29, 2013A great book has come out—“Where the Bear Walks: From Fear to Understanding.” It carries our message. It’s by an author we never heard of. Lynn was sent a copy a couple weeks ago. Amazing. The author apparently has been following the writings of many bear experts, saw a common theme in their messages, and tied them all together in this 2013 book. Judy Thon and the Bear Center staff immediately ordered it, and it’s available in the web store for $18.95. The 2014 Calendar and Holiday cards will be available soon.
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.