2021 at the Bear Wallow

Beginning in 2014 one of my camera traps has frequently been at a seasonal pool capturing photographs or videos of the birds and mammals using, or passing, the pool. In this area seasonal pools are frequently called bear wallows since bears often lounge in the water, especially on hot summer days, and so this one has been called the Bear Wallow. The pool appears to have originated as a pingo scar remaining from the Wisconsinan glaciation (for an explanation of pingo scars see this post). 

The camera has usually been at the pool from late spring through the fall, being removed before the arrival of hunting seasons when more people are in the woods (unfortunately not everyone’s honest). Following a suggestion from a person who follows In Forest and Field (that's you Chris), the camera was put in place just before January 1^st and remained until November 1^st – deer and bear seasons begin in several weeks and people are already prowling about.

Ever since a camera was first placed at the bear wallow the photos or videos captured by the cameras have been the subjects of posts on In Forest and Field. Here are the best of the videos from 2021 – white-tailed deer have been particularly visible while, unlike in past years, black bears have been notable by their general absence. Perhaps the dearth of bears is the result of longer hunting seasons and a record bear kill in 2019 coupled with an outbreak of mange in the bear population.

The hawk and owl were feeding on the wood frogs that breed in the seasonal pool.

Why were there no videos of opossums or raccoons or bobcat and but one fleeting nighttime glimpse of an eastern coyote on the far side of the pool? Population cycles? Weather? Disease? Coincidence? The natural world is full of beauty and mystery; beauty that can be enjoyed, mystery that can be solved by research – I'll enjoy the beauty and leave the research to others.

The camera will probably go back to the bear wallow in late December. Hopefully, when warm weather arrives next year we’ll once again see bears bathing and playing in the water.