Early Spring at the Bear Wallow

If you’ve visited In Forest and Field over the past several years you’ve probably seen still photos and videos from the seasonal pool that I call the bear wallow. This pool began as a pingo scar after the last glaciation ended in northcentral Pennsylvania. This earlier post gives an explanation of pingos and the scars they leave.

Here we see the wildlife that used the bear wallow in March and April of this year. No black bears as yet, but the pool was heavily used by wood ducks and the bobcat that was hoping to have a dinner of duck. Speaking of getting a meal at the pool, a red-shouldered hawk made repeated visits to hunt wood frogs during the frogs’ breeding season –

Although the bear wallow isn’t as attractive to wildlife as a beaver pond, it still attracts a good variety of critters.