It’s all about bear dens in this week’s photo of the week by Charlie Fineran.

Bears den in many types of places.

Standing hollow trees are a favorite denning place, but few trees are allowed to reach the mature stage at which the center rots and becomes hollow. The mother bear (sow) that is featured in this photo series has found one of those perfect old hollowed out trees.

Rock crevices and caves are also used as dens. These can remain usable for centuries, however not always by the same bear and usually not in successive years. 

In a study of a den being used the most over a four-decade period, researchers found it was used three times, each time by a different bear, and each time after an interval of six years. 

Dens are also dug into hillsides and under root systems of trees.  Many of these are dug in the summer months, long before they will be used. The disadvantage of dug dens is they often collapse and are therefore seldom reused. 

Bears may also den under the crown of a downed tree or in brush piles. Some bears simply rake up a bed on the ground near a windbreak! I think we are safe in saying, a den can be just about wherever a bear wants it to be.

They begin investigating possible sites throughout the summer. If a bear is disturbed during the winter, it will often move directly to another den.  Looking at the photos, I think it is safe to say this bear and her family are probably not going to be disturbed.  This is really a perfect location for a safe den!! 

It was also a very convenient place to observe the mother bear from a safe distance by parking just off the road and sitting in the car.

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS

I was looking through my archived yearly photos, paying special attention to those albums dated April, thinking I might come across some interesting photos relevant to this time of year. 

I came across a series of photos and albums dated April 13 and 16, 2015, depicting this mother bear setting by her den in this large tree. I remember this well, one of my friends had called me, advising me that there was a mother bear by her den in a huge tree, which was visible from the road. 

I then made several visits daily for about a week, hoping to see the cubs when they finally exited the den.  I never did see the cubs and the mother (sow) was gone within a week. 

However, presently, mother bears are starting to emerge from their dens with their cubs, so this Photo of the Week article might be looked at as a timely reminder: “Keep your eyes peeled!”

Who knows, maybe you might just see the next generation of Black Bear.

Please visit my Flickr site for various albums on Black Bears:

Album one: various bear encounters
Album two: sow and cubs at Allamuchy Mountain State Park
Album three: black bears at Delaware Water Gap
Album four: sow and cubs share field with another bear at Delaware Water Gap

Spring has finally sprung!

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Charlie Fineran is Allamuchy’s Director of Open Space, Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission Chairman and Allamuchy Historical Society President.