Black Bear Lily On The BearCam, BlackBerry Shots, Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 2010, DenCam provided by the NABC/WRI, photo snapshot 2010 by QuoinMonkey.
If you’ve never seen a wild black bear gently lick her paws, roll over in her den, or blow puffs of winter breath in sub-zero temperatures, Lily will change your life. I used to think hibernating bears went into their dens and peacefully slept all Winter. Nothing could be further from the truth.
On Friday January 8th, documentary veteran Doug Hajicek installed an Infra Red camera system into a black bear’s den near Ely, Minnesota. And not just any black bear. Her name is Lily. Three-year-old Lily is part of the long-term study of black bear ecology and behavior being conducted by Lynn Rogers at Ely’s Wildlife Research Institute, less than 30 miles from the Canadian border. Lily is the daughter of 9-year-old June, and it is believed that Lily is pregnant. There is an above average chance she will give birth in mid January.
The Full Moon in January, which I’ve often celebrated as the Wolf Moon, is sometimes known as the Bear Moon. Last week under the New Bear Moon, I listened to Cathy Wurzer interview Doug Hajicek on MPR. Then Liz and I started following Lily on Facebook. We also watched her on the Today Show. And have been reading bear facts at the North American Bear Center and checking in to Lily’s Bear Cam ever since.
No one has ever seen a wild bear give birth to cubs. Some mornings, I can’t take my eyes off the screen. If the miracle happens, it will be the first time in history it has ever been filmed. Bearing witness. It is a powerful thing.
To view the magic for yourself, check out these links:
-posted on red Ravine under the New Bear Moon, Sunday, January 17th,
Other Local Color posts from Minnesota & New Mexico:
- Mysteries & Myths: In Search Of The Lake Creature
- Sidewalk Poetry — Public Art At Its Best
- Spirits In The Bosque – Patrick Dougherty Leaves His Mark On Albuquerque
- Wet Cement (It Only Takes A Second)
- virgin cottonwood haiku
- A Little Less War
- Birthday Of Mabel Dodge Luhan
- F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Birthday Celebration
- A Journey For Bill
- A Taste Of Ghost Ranch
- Bats, Beautiful Bats!
- the lawrence tree haiku
- Natural Wonders: A Pentagram
- Frieda Lawrence – ‘Til Death Do We Part
- Gearing Up For The MN State Fair — Artist Leo Stans
- “K” Is For Kramarczuk’s
- The Art Of Ice (Art Shanty Projects)
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