I am frustrated because last night I worked for hours trying to upload pictures for yesterdays post on the tour of Brooks Camp. As you could see I was unsuccessful. So again I am forced to send a disc to my husband to upload for me. Rumor has it that DSL may be coming to King Salmon but until then we are stuck with dial up internet.
On the first night at Brooks Camp while getting the tour I saw my first brown bear. She was on the other side of the river from me grazing on the new grass growing along the banks. She is a regular at Brooks Camp. She first appeared as a COY, which stands for current offspring year. That summer she got too close to a large male bear that gave her a deep cut above the left eye. Deep enough that the staff didn't think she had a chance to live. Today she is 4 1/2 years old and still bares the scare above her left eye. She probably weighs about 275 pounds. She hasn't been out of hibernation long and she needs to add fat to her body. By the middle of summer she should be around 400 pounds or more. She was named Tundra by the biologist at the time and given the number 130. All of the unknown bears and new cubs are given a ID number some of them are given names, usually after some feature or activity that they do. For instance, there is a bear named popeye because the massive width of his legs. There is a bear named milkshake that got her name because every time she finished nursing she would shake her whole body. Tundra had a sibling which was very light colored who was given the name arctic, they were trying to think of a name to go with arctic for the second cub and someone mentioned Tundra and it stuck.
She has a light tan color to her fur on most of her body but the back of her legs have a deeper brown color. She looked all soft and furry that first night like a stuffed bear in a store that you just want to hug. We watched her walk down the shoreline away from us just enjoying the evening sunlight while she ate. The next morning I was out for a walk and I saw her again on a sandbar at the mouth of the river. She was digging in the sand in search for what none of us have figured out. I sat about 75 yards away from her and watched until it was time to go to work. It was so much fun to watch as she dug with her huge paws and sharp claws. Every once in a while she would pounce on the hole as if there was a live creature there for her to attack. Then finally she laid down and her muzzle would dissappear down the hole, after a few seconds she would raise her head and you could see her eating something. It was an amzing time.
The next morning I saw her again down at the sandbar again digging for food. This time a couple of magpies and a group of gulls wanted to share in the feast. Tundra was not in the mood to share so when the birds got to close she would swipe at them with her claws. She almost got a magpie who I am assuming would be an added course to her breakfast. Lucky for the magpie it was faster than the claw. That day a cold wind was blowing off the lake inwards. As I stood shivering watching her eat, the cold wind did not seem to bother her at all.
I did not see Tundra the next day or most of the day after. When I finally saw her again she surprised me. I was walking with two cabin mates to take a trip to the falls when one of the others said look a bear. It was Tundra grazing on shrubs about 15 yards away. The rule being you have to be 50 yards from a bear and being that close to a brown bear we slowly moveded back to the designated 50 yards talking to her in calm voices. I apoligized for interrupting her dinner. We watched look at us for a few minutes then she just tore a bunch of grass and slowly trudged on through the brush. We did not effect her by being there.
The next morning she made it hard for the people on the Lake Brooks side of the river to get accross the bridge. If a bear is with in 50 yards of the bridge you may not cross the bridge. She decided that breakfast that morning was to take place by the main gate. She kept ten people waiting twenty minutes while she lumbered here and there before moving far enough away for them to proceed. At Brooks Camp bears not people have the right of way. You are not allowed to shout or move a bear out of your way, you move out of theirs. When July hits it is not uncommon for the bridge to be closed for 30 minutes or longer because of bear traffic. There are Park Rangers situated in various spots that control traffic across the bridge when the tourist arrive which is after June 1st.
Seeing Tundra most days was the highlight of the day. Being she is the first brown to be seen I have fallen in love with her. I hope that I will be there to see her give birth to her first litter. She will be sexually mature next year and may have cubs the year after. If my contract is extended I may be here to see that happen.
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