When last I left you I was telling you about the McNeil River trip I took in June. Before I finish that story let me get you up to date on what is going on here in the present at Brooks Camp. Lurch was reported to have attacked a bear on the valley road and ate him last week. He has done it again. This time at Brooks Camp on the closed trail about 50 yards from the gate of the floating bridge. Not only did he kill and feast on another subadult but buried what he could not finish. Yesterday, live on the web cam he dragged the remains out of his dug hole and feasted. National Parks let nature take its course and this is a part of nature. One we don't usually get a glimpse of. None of the staff have been able to ID the subadults. We will have to wait to see who doesn't appear next year as the last of the staff left Brooks Camp today. And though this is nature at its most dangerous. If Lurch were to kill one more time, in human terms he would be considered a serial killer.
Now if we retrace my steps and go back to McNeil we spent the last day of bear viewing at the famous McNeil falls. Where in 2011 they counted 72 bears feeding at one time. I was in total shock when I saw how close we were to sit by the river. Right next to the falls. I mean right next to the water. Now we were in there in the middle of June so the salmon had not started their big push yet, so there were no bears actually fishing yet. We only spent a few hours getting a look at the place. Not only do they sit and watch the action from so close but they eat their lunch right there. That includes eating salmon. It is amazing to me that humans and bears can live together at such close distances and not get hurt. Again the leaders of McNeil carry weapons and when asked what they do if there is a territory fight in the river that gets close. The answer was they throw a chair at the bears to break up the battle. Crazy! But it was an amazing place to visit.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
First Spring cub
Going back to June and the day I saw my first spring cub.
I am going back in time to my trip to McNeil River State Park. We are there to compare management techniques with the staff. We have hiked through the sedge meadow and are sitting on a group of logs watching bears. We are sitting near a river (not the McNeil). When along came a sow with one little spring cub.
The cub was so cute. It was running after mom. Mom checked out the river for salmon. She munched on grass then she headed up the river. The little guy went running after. Everyone was taking pictures and were ooh and aahing over how cute.
For the next five minutes watched a few subadults go by. We could see the couple mating in the field. It was a good time. There was never a time where we didn't see a bear. Then we heard a sound. A growl and huff and running footsteps. From up river came the sow. She was running and calling. But no cub was following. She ran up hill and down. She ran along the river. She sniffed along the ground. She huffed and growled and yelled. She ran out of site down river.
The whole time she was in our view there was no cute little cub. Some how she had lost it. She was back minutes later on our side of the river. She ran past us in the same panicked behavior. Then she was out of site again. This scene played out for an hour. She would show up running and calling then ran back. At no time did we see the cub. Then a heard the cub call. Then it was heard by more members of the group. Problem was mom was not around.
Then across the river in a large clump of trees a few of us saw the cub run across in to the trees. But mom still had not come back. And of course we had lost sight of the cub and no longer heard it. As a group, though we wanted the two to meet up, we decided to move up river and see how the action was up there. Once we moved about a 1/2 mile we saw the sow.
She was no longer panicked. She was no longer huffing or growling or running back and forth. No she hadn't found the cub. she did however find a big ole salmon and was having a nice dinner. Then she caught another, then another and another. She had filled her stomach quite nicely and had forgotten all about her sweet little baby all alone in the woods with no one to love and protect her. Needless to say the group was quite upset with this terrible mother.
Finally it was time to go back to camp. We had spent over 12 hours of bear watching. We never did see the cub again. We did see the sow many times through the rest of our stay but she seemed to have forgotten she had a baby. So I saw my first cub and then I lost my first cub. How sad is that?
In King Salmon today it was meetings and birthday celebrations. The sun was out and the wind was blowing 50 miles an hour. Not much in the way of adventures.
I am going back in time to my trip to McNeil River State Park. We are there to compare management techniques with the staff. We have hiked through the sedge meadow and are sitting on a group of logs watching bears. We are sitting near a river (not the McNeil). When along came a sow with one little spring cub.
The cub was so cute. It was running after mom. Mom checked out the river for salmon. She munched on grass then she headed up the river. The little guy went running after. Everyone was taking pictures and were ooh and aahing over how cute.
For the next five minutes watched a few subadults go by. We could see the couple mating in the field. It was a good time. There was never a time where we didn't see a bear. Then we heard a sound. A growl and huff and running footsteps. From up river came the sow. She was running and calling. But no cub was following. She ran up hill and down. She ran along the river. She sniffed along the ground. She huffed and growled and yelled. She ran out of site down river.
The whole time she was in our view there was no cute little cub. Some how she had lost it. She was back minutes later on our side of the river. She ran past us in the same panicked behavior. Then she was out of site again. This scene played out for an hour. She would show up running and calling then ran back. At no time did we see the cub. Then a heard the cub call. Then it was heard by more members of the group. Problem was mom was not around.
Then across the river in a large clump of trees a few of us saw the cub run across in to the trees. But mom still had not come back. And of course we had lost sight of the cub and no longer heard it. As a group, though we wanted the two to meet up, we decided to move up river and see how the action was up there. Once we moved about a 1/2 mile we saw the sow.
She was no longer panicked. She was no longer huffing or growling or running back and forth. No she hadn't found the cub. she did however find a big ole salmon and was having a nice dinner. Then she caught another, then another and another. She had filled her stomach quite nicely and had forgotten all about her sweet little baby all alone in the woods with no one to love and protect her. Needless to say the group was quite upset with this terrible mother.
Finally it was time to go back to camp. We had spent over 12 hours of bear watching. We never did see the cub again. We did see the sow many times through the rest of our stay but she seemed to have forgotten she had a baby. So I saw my first cub and then I lost my first cub. How sad is that?
In King Salmon today it was meetings and birthday celebrations. The sun was out and the wind was blowing 50 miles an hour. Not much in the way of adventures.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Spring Activities at McNeil
Watching bears at McNeil is quite the experience. While you can be close to bears at Katmai you are usually above them. At McNeil you hike through the muck and mud and sit on logs and let the bears be bears. This may mean they walk right up to the group. The guide is always ready to do what is necessary even if that means shooting the bear but for the most part the bears are use to humans being at a close proximity. We got to see quite a few bears on our first day out.
McNeil contains a very large sedge meadow. This is where most of the bears were hanging out. Being it was spring the bears were doing the natural thing. Eating, sleeping and having sex. What a life. We saw some peculiar mating rituals, we saw a female chase off a smaller female near a male only to turn around and play hard to get with the same male. It was comical to watch. We saw a female come out of the woods and fight with one male who was not exactly small in size, then head off to another bigger male and almost demand to be mated. The boar however was not too keen on granting her wishes. That did not stop her as she kept everyone away from the male until he finally gave in to her demands.
Then there was one male who we saw mate with one female and within minutes mate with another. Spend 45 minutes to an hour mating with her and finish and find another female. I think I counted 7 females that boar mated with while we were there. I never did see him eat. Wonder how he kept the stamina up.
There were bear couples that nuzzled and played and curled up together before and after mating. Then there were the love them and loose them couples and even a couple where the female showed no interest at all in the activities. While he was doing his thing she just stood there waiting. Every once in a while glancing back to see if he was done yet. Then when he finally got off her she just started to eat grass. Like nothing had ever happened. Life, got to love it.
McNeil contains a very large sedge meadow. This is where most of the bears were hanging out. Being it was spring the bears were doing the natural thing. Eating, sleeping and having sex. What a life. We saw some peculiar mating rituals, we saw a female chase off a smaller female near a male only to turn around and play hard to get with the same male. It was comical to watch. We saw a female come out of the woods and fight with one male who was not exactly small in size, then head off to another bigger male and almost demand to be mated. The boar however was not too keen on granting her wishes. That did not stop her as she kept everyone away from the male until he finally gave in to her demands.
Then there was one male who we saw mate with one female and within minutes mate with another. Spend 45 minutes to an hour mating with her and finish and find another female. I think I counted 7 females that boar mated with while we were there. I never did see him eat. Wonder how he kept the stamina up.
There were bear couples that nuzzled and played and curled up together before and after mating. Then there were the love them and loose them couples and even a couple where the female showed no interest at all in the activities. While he was doing his thing she just stood there waiting. Every once in a while glancing back to see if he was done yet. Then when he finally got off her she just started to eat grass. Like nothing had ever happened. Life, got to love it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Heading to McNeil River
The first week of June I returned once again to MN for a weeks vacation with all my family. When I returned to King Salmon I had just a couple of days to catch up on office work and then it was off to McNeil River.
McNeil River is an Alaska State Park. It is found north of Katmai and also has a high number of brown bears. Last summer they had 72 bears in the river at one time. Pretty amazing. Unlike Katmai and other Alaskan parks, to be allowed to go to McNeil you have to win the lottery. Only 250 people a year are allowed to visit with 60% of those being Alaskan residents. The biologist of Katmai were going there on a science permit to compare notes on how they manage their bears compared to Katmai's plan.
The only way to get to McNeil is to fly and being on the coast flying in can be tricky. Luckily we had no problem except our pilot had no idea where to land. Once there you are led to the camping area. You may arrive a day or two early and stay a day or two later depending on your flight but only 10 visitors a day can go bear viewing. The camp has 16 sites for tents. It has a wonderful cook cabin complete with dishes to cook in. Better cookware than I own. It has three large tables, a small library,and a few games and puzzles for the really crappy days. It also has artwork, photos and sayings left from past visitors on the wall. And on the other end of camp there is also a little sauna where you can wash away the dirt from the long day. Two outhouses are a short walk outside of camp. I can't really say your roughing it at McNeil at all.
The camp is surrounded by willows and alder bushes. when we arrived the sun was out and the birds were singing. We set up camp and took a walk along the beach. I was told it was a great place to beach comb. But on the first day there was no treasures found.
McNeil River is an Alaska State Park. It is found north of Katmai and also has a high number of brown bears. Last summer they had 72 bears in the river at one time. Pretty amazing. Unlike Katmai and other Alaskan parks, to be allowed to go to McNeil you have to win the lottery. Only 250 people a year are allowed to visit with 60% of those being Alaskan residents. The biologist of Katmai were going there on a science permit to compare notes on how they manage their bears compared to Katmai's plan.
The only way to get to McNeil is to fly and being on the coast flying in can be tricky. Luckily we had no problem except our pilot had no idea where to land. Once there you are led to the camping area. You may arrive a day or two early and stay a day or two later depending on your flight but only 10 visitors a day can go bear viewing. The camp has 16 sites for tents. It has a wonderful cook cabin complete with dishes to cook in. Better cookware than I own. It has three large tables, a small library,and a few games and puzzles for the really crappy days. It also has artwork, photos and sayings left from past visitors on the wall. And on the other end of camp there is also a little sauna where you can wash away the dirt from the long day. Two outhouses are a short walk outside of camp. I can't really say your roughing it at McNeil at all.
The camp is surrounded by willows and alder bushes. when we arrived the sun was out and the birds were singing. We set up camp and took a walk along the beach. I was told it was a great place to beach comb. But on the first day there was no treasures found.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Bear Survey Bust
During the last weeks of May, my partner was performing bear den and bear stream surveys. They spent two weeks looking for bear dens running over 100 transects and only saw three dens. Brown bears dig their dens in higher elevations usually around 1300 feet. With all the snow we had last winter and the cold spring bears were not leaving their cozy dens. It was a total surprise that they saw so few dens.
Next they flew over streams looking for the bears that had emerged. Only a few boars were seen. The were only one or two females and no family groups were seen at all. The surveys were to see how fall hunting had effected the population but with all them still asleep, we did not learn a whole lot.
Jumping to October 1st and there is exciting news from Brooks Camp. Probably not great news to most of you but exciting. Seems one of the big boars chased a subadult down the valley road yesterday. He evidently caught it and killed it. Then he proceeded to eat it. One of the contractors working at camp caught the whole thing on video. I have not seen it yet but I am sure some day in the future it will be on you tube for all of us to enjoy.
Next they flew over streams looking for the bears that had emerged. Only a few boars were seen. The were only one or two females and no family groups were seen at all. The surveys were to see how fall hunting had effected the population but with all them still asleep, we did not learn a whole lot.
Jumping to October 1st and there is exciting news from Brooks Camp. Probably not great news to most of you but exciting. Seems one of the big boars chased a subadult down the valley road yesterday. He evidently caught it and killed it. Then he proceeded to eat it. One of the contractors working at camp caught the whole thing on video. I have not seen it yet but I am sure some day in the future it will be on you tube for all of us to enjoy.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Hello Tundra!
Back in time to end of May
I have spent four days in Brooks. We have had no excitement. No bears, no other animals. There have been barely any birds. So all I have been doing is training staff. I had given up on seeing any bears this trip and was packed and ready to head back to King Salmon and as I trekked back to the camp from BL3 I wasn't even thinking bears just what need to be done at home before I leave again. When I reached the river I almost missed her lying on the downriver island.
There was Tundra. She was doing just what she was doing last year when I first saw her, digging holes and eating who knows what. She was bigger than last year and though thinner than the fall she looked good. It was totally fitting that my first bear of both seasons was Tundra. I stood and watched her as long as I could before I had to catch the boat back to Lake Camp. So I did not get skunked on my first visit. It just made me anxious to get back.
Though the last week in May was all training there was some excitement in the fact that the BBC had arrived to film a documentary at Brooks. They set up cameras that recorded activity at the falls platform during the month of July. They arrived in May to set up camera equipment. They also traveled to Hallo Bay and other coastal areas to get pictures out there. The film crew worked hard and long and are currently editing the film shot. In July of 2013 the film will be shown on the BBC network. Keep your eyes out for it.
Also arriving at Brooks the last week of May were the people from explore.org. They have set up web cams at the falls platform and at the lower river platform to let people watch the bears. It is a huge hit. Go to explore.org and watch yourself. You will see the high water of the river. Lots of male bears catching fish. You might even see Beadnose and family.
I have spent four days in Brooks. We have had no excitement. No bears, no other animals. There have been barely any birds. So all I have been doing is training staff. I had given up on seeing any bears this trip and was packed and ready to head back to King Salmon and as I trekked back to the camp from BL3 I wasn't even thinking bears just what need to be done at home before I leave again. When I reached the river I almost missed her lying on the downriver island.
There was Tundra. She was doing just what she was doing last year when I first saw her, digging holes and eating who knows what. She was bigger than last year and though thinner than the fall she looked good. It was totally fitting that my first bear of both seasons was Tundra. I stood and watched her as long as I could before I had to catch the boat back to Lake Camp. So I did not get skunked on my first visit. It just made me anxious to get back.
Though the last week in May was all training there was some excitement in the fact that the BBC had arrived to film a documentary at Brooks. They set up cameras that recorded activity at the falls platform during the month of July. They arrived in May to set up camera equipment. They also traveled to Hallo Bay and other coastal areas to get pictures out there. The film crew worked hard and long and are currently editing the film shot. In July of 2013 the film will be shown on the BBC network. Keep your eyes out for it.
Also arriving at Brooks the last week of May were the people from explore.org. They have set up web cams at the falls platform and at the lower river platform to let people watch the bears. It is a huge hit. Go to explore.org and watch yourself. You will see the high water of the river. Lots of male bears catching fish. You might even see Beadnose and family.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Where are the bears?
Returning to May
It is my second day at Brooks Camp and I have yet to see a bear. Even the maintenance men haven't seen a bear. We still have deep snow in the upper elevations. My partner is actually flying den surveys while I am at Brooks. So far they have not found too many dens open yet this spring. The bears are staying in the dens much longer than last year. I am beginning to wonder if I will see a bear any time soon.
Most of my day was spent training the summer staff. We have such a great group. I am glad however that I will not have to go through dunker and MOCC training again this year. While they go through that training the rest of the week I will be working on cameras and some spotting some bird identification sites to perform surveys in a couple of weeks.
Today in King Salmon
I woke up to a frosty chill in the air. As the sky lightened up the fog came in. the temperature was below freezing so the frost froze on everything it touched. I guess I can say winter is on its way.
It is my second day at Brooks Camp and I have yet to see a bear. Even the maintenance men haven't seen a bear. We still have deep snow in the upper elevations. My partner is actually flying den surveys while I am at Brooks. So far they have not found too many dens open yet this spring. The bears are staying in the dens much longer than last year. I am beginning to wonder if I will see a bear any time soon.
Most of my day was spent training the summer staff. We have such a great group. I am glad however that I will not have to go through dunker and MOCC training again this year. While they go through that training the rest of the week I will be working on cameras and some spotting some bird identification sites to perform surveys in a couple of weeks.
Today in King Salmon
I woke up to a frosty chill in the air. As the sky lightened up the fog came in. the temperature was below freezing so the frost froze on everything it touched. I guess I can say winter is on its way.
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