Cinnamons female cub, CloveThe wild foods in the scats here are mostly vegetation in this season when berries would normally be the main food. In this scat, mountain-ash berries are an additional component as well as raspberry seeds. However, mountain-ash berries are generally eaten in September after the first frost, but bears are eating them early; and most of them are coming through whole. No wonder so many bears are seeking supplemental foods. What bears will eat depends on what the alternatives are.
A small yearling we named Rosemary is a bear of unknown origin. She showed up alone and hungry. The photo shows her about to climb a white pine to rest after dining on supplemental food here today. White pines are the bears’ favorite resting trees in this region, which is probably because these trees have the best bark for climbing, the biggest branches for resting, and a dense canopy of needles to provide shade.
 Yearling resting in white pine |
 Yearling Rosemary |
 Bear scat |
 Kimani's female cub, Unna |
Some of the bears seen resting today are Cinnamon’s female cub which is now named Clove, a yearling we couldn’t identify in its resting position, and Kimani’s lone cub named Unna (a female). All were in white pines.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center