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.

Da-n BoPET

BoPET – what on earth is BoPET ???? It's biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate. Clears that up doesn't it? BoPET is a polyester film most commonly sold as Mylar, Hostaphan or Melinex and I hate the stuff.

Another walk in the Big Woods and once again there was a splash of color on the ground ahead of me. Yup, it was another one – a BoPET balloon that was either released or escaped to sail off into the sky. It sailed on until enough of its helium escaped that it lost altitude and eventually came to rest in the woodland in which I walked –

Sometimes BoPET balloons don’t reach the ground but instead get caught in tree branches to wave in the wind until they’re shredded enough to fall to earth –

Early last year I decided to photograph every one of the pieces of BoPET litter I found. Here are some of them: Remnants of 4^th of July celebrations that now  deface the land –

And of birthday parties; hope they had fun because their balloons are nothing but litter –

Others had indecipherable words –

Some had no words at all –

BoPET was developed for use in the space program as a lightweight material that could be metalicized so it was reflective. It quickly became a material of choice for making balloons. Because they’re so lightweight and retain their helium for many days, loose balloons may sail on the wind for hundreds of miles.

The overwhelming problem is that for all practical purposes BoPET lasts forever. Over time the balloons tear into smaller and smaller pieces but the material does not disappear. 

BoPET balloons are capable of conducting electricity and free-roaming balloons have caused thousands of power outages after becoming entangled in power lines. Wildlife, especially marine animals and birds, mistake pieces of balloons for something edible and often die after the balloon blocks their digestive tract. Other animals and birds become entangled in the balloons’ trailing strings.

At least seven states have restricted the release of balloons – hopefully more will follow their example. Meanwhile everyone can avoid purchasing BoPET balloons – if you do that the rest of us will say –

Three Weeks at the Big Log

Not far from where this is being written is a patch of mature woodland that has all the characteristics of an old-growth forest – there are large old trees and small young ones; many species of trees and shrubs grow in this woodland in addition to the five species of oaks that cause it to be described as an oak forest; dead woody material lies on the ground in abundance, from small branches to the fallen trunks of very large trees; the death of those large trees has created wide gaps in the canopy that will allow some of the small young trees to grow and prosper.

Although this woodland has many of the characteristics of an old-growth forest, it is not as it seems. The trees are growing on very fertile well-watered soil; the forest hasn’t been disturbed in a long time, at least 80 years; it’s likely that it was not logged in the 20^th Century; a farm woodlot is what this forest has been since the late 1700s. So it's definitely not an old-growth forest.

The trunk of one of those large fallen trees created an opportunity for the placement of a camera trap, one that was in place for a mere three weeks. The reward for putting the camera at the big log is here –

The camera trap recorded a large number of videos of gray squirrels on the log. You’ve been spared all but one of those videos, I just had to include one to prove gray squirrels inhabit this woodland.

The tailless raccoon appears to have a significant medical problem. Speaking of medical issues, the three-legged raccoon seems to be getting along just fine and has raised two young ones.

As for young ones, those young bears returned to mess with the camera trap as bears often do.