Black Bears on the Rim

The camera trap on the rim has produced a number of very satisfying videos: of bobcats, white-tailed deer and black bears. Several of those can be seen here and here.

Oak trees on the edge of the steep drop-off produced a bumper crop of acorns this year, although the acorns were small and fell early. Any species of wildlife (blue jays, chipmunks, squirrels, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and black bears included) that feeds on acorns has an abundance of food this fall.

The last check of the camera trap yielded a few videos of gray squirrels, wild turkeys and white-tailed deer, but the best of them were of black bears on three different days.

First came a female with two cubs; then, the next night, a much larger bear; three days later the female and her cubs were back –

 

Several days later some wild turkeys came by, scratching for acorns and a porcupine slowly walked past also eating acorns. The rim has been a great location for a camera trap.