In a new bear hot spot that I recently found near Lab Valley, a big Black Bear thoroughly enjoyed a swim in a pond. Then, he rubbed his back on a marking tree with gusto. He also repeatedly did "straddle marking" on a small spruce tree. That means that he walked over top of it so that he left his scent on it (both from his skin and urine).
One person joked that she'd never again look at her small Christmas tree cut from the forest without remembering what bears might have done to it!
Check out the video!
Oh that swim looks so wonderfully refreshing.
ReplyDeleteGail, a keen outdoor swimmer (two swims in Loch Torridon so far this week) is wondering if you or the Runner have a place where you go in for a dip yourselves?
It is too cold up here in the mountains to swim. Most of the water is fed by melting snow, and neither of us humans can handle freezing water! The bears seem to love it.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeletewhat a handsome fellow and wasn't he having the BEST time??!!! Hope to see lots more of him - what name shall he have? Bonzo came to me straight away... but it's not for me to do... YAM xx
I need to get to know him a little better before giving him a name. He sure did love his swim so it might end up being the "Swimmer"!
Deleteas i watched him swim i thought who could watch this without smiling and then when he wandered over that tree i laughed out loud, maybe because of the comment about a christmas tree. this video makes me feel happy all over. raccoons love to swim, they swim in our pool sometimes, and now i wonder if you have racoons and why we don't see other animals in this bear spa
ReplyDeleteWe don't seem to have raccoons at Lab Valley. I think that it's too high for them. Also, we are further from a city so city dwellers don't "remove" them from their property in live traps and then release them up here. That was happening a lot at our old place. Moose walk around the bear spa but they haven't swum yet! No other animals yet but it's a new spot for me.
DeleteThe bear sure looked like he enjoyed his swim in the pond. That straddle marking is something we don't think you've shown us before. We bet it breaks a lot of trees when they do that.
ReplyDeleteBear and moose are very very hard on small trees!
DeleteThat was some swim and we're still smiling about the Christmas Tree comment!
ReplyDeleteHot hazy and humid in NC wishing I had a 'bear-less' creek for a cool dip.
ReplyDeleteHugs cecilia
We had to laugh at him going over the Christmas tree and not around it☺ How wonderful that he has enough water to submerse himself.
ReplyDeleteHe had a great swim and we went over that tree many times. Way cool.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. Scritches to the pups. ♥
That downed branch made for quite the loofah!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful dip in the pool, guess the water is so refreshing for him, and his name is so fitting.
ReplyDeleteSimply amazing footage! He doesn't let anything stand in his way. :)
ReplyDeleteBears sure do enjoy a nice swim!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome
ReplyDeleteIsn't that funny how he walked right over that tree! Thanks for explaining why he did that, I never would have known.
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