Back at work (if you can call it that) with the first black bear field course, the biggest excitement is the group interacting with new mother Snowball and seeing how she tenderly cares for her lone sweet male cub someone gave the unfitting name Aatrox that means atrocious or savage. Even mother Snowball was reasonable in dealing with males that came too close but were no threat to Aatrox who climbed trees as he felt necessary.
Eagle Juvenile
Yesterday morning was good weather, so when bears were few we took a pontoon boat ride to the den where Lily gave birth to Hope on January 22, 2010. On the way we checked the massive, decades old eagles’ nest and saw a single hatchling that is already nearly full size in its dark, first-year coat of feathers.
Loon with Loonlet by Burkat
On the way back, we saw a pair of loons with two loonlets—one on its mother’s back and the other tagging along beside her. Course participant Sheri Burkat was ready and got some nice pictures of them.
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| Painted turtle female lays eggs | |
Arriving back at the the Wildlife Research Institute, another participant spotted a nice large painted turtle digging a hole with her hind legs to lay eggs. One of the pictures shows the dirt the mother had dug up. The other shows her beautiful head and neck. Female painted turtles are about twice the size of males.
Gull caught bologna Burkat
The next distraction was a friendly herring gull that looked pleadingly for someone to toss it a piece of bologna—an action that Sheri caught on her camera as the gull made the catch.
As evening approached, so did more bears, and learning expanded. The entire course was filled with many incredible interactions with bears of all ages and the participants said they learned far beyond anything they had imagined. It was what I look forward to each winter and spring as the courses approach.
It’s good to be back at ‘work’ having a wonderful time with nature-loving, bear-loving participants who love to learn from bears, other animals, and lectures.
Tomorrow is this group’s last day that will conclude with a group picture and exploring the North American Bear Center. It is heart-warming to hear their enthusiasm for all they have learned from bears, lectures, and more, making me realize how much I’ll miss them as I look forward to more and more in the seven courses in the next seven weeks.
Thank you participants for all your enthusiasm. And thank you all for what you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center