Bears Get Ready to Hibernate

Over the last week we've received our first couple feet of snow for the 2009/2010 winter season. It's beginning to look and feel a lot like winter up here!

Grinder and Coola have now moved into their Hibernation Habitat - the last stage before their winter sleep - and we have taken down and packed up the fenceline of their regular habitats. Both bears have fattened up considerably and are now starting to ignore their food - a sure sign that they are ready for hibernation. The simple action of walking across their hibernation yard is a tiring endeavor for them these days.

Despite being sleepy, however, both bears still love the snow and are often seen rolling and playing in the fresh powder. They even tried to build a snow cave/tunnel - which doesn't work too well with only 2 feet of snow!

Over the next week we will begin tapering off their food supply and as this dwindles the bears will look to form their fecal plug by eating the bark off some of the trees. This is the last stage before full hibernation begins.

You can follow Grinder and Coola on our Live Gizzly Bear Camera found on http://www.grousemountain.com . We will switch it to show inside their den once hibernation begins, but for now you can see their hibernation habitat.

Summer Fades into Fall

Hello everyone! This summer has flown by and we're now getting the bears and their habitat ready for winter.

Grinder and Coola have begun to fatten up and enter their 'hyperphagia' stage where all they want to do is eat! Over the next month they will put on weight and increase their fat stores in order to make it through the winter.

They will also begin their bed making process and making their den for their long winter naps.

I'm also pleased to announce that our bear cameras are now live and showing a view of our upper pond habitat. Watch for the bears day or night on this infrared camera! You can view it here: http://www.grousemountain.com/Summer/wildlife-education/refuge/grizzly-bear-live-camera.asp .

Once the bears enter their den for the winter, we will switch the camera to the interior view.

Enjoy!

Anna's Hummingbird Banded at Grouse Mountain

Hello everyone! We had a very exciting hummingbird monitoring session yesterday. We banded 12 new hummingbirds, including our very first Anna's Hummingbird and our very first recapture of a bird not banded here on Grouse Mountain.

Anna's Hummingbirds are found in the Vancouver area, but are normally located at lower elevations near the coast.

The recaptured Rufous Hummingbird was banded four years ago at the base of nearby Fromme Mountain. She has survived all these years, and multiple visits to Mexico for the winter and is now back on Grouse Mountain and when we examined her she had a nearly fully developed egg in her abdomen. It's exciting to see she chose here to breed!

The Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife participates in the North American Hummingbird Monitoring Network and is the only mountaintop site in BC. The Hummingbird Monitoring Network is monitoring hummingbird populations across western North America and investigating the apparent decline of these magnificent birds. We band every two weeks whenever hummingbirds are present, and data on the age, measurements and health of the birds is collected and compared with other stations.

For more information please see: http://www.hummonnet.org/

Grinder and Coola Emerge

Grinder and Coola have come out of their 2008/2009 hibernation period! They awoke in April and were recently seen emerging into their hibernation habitat for a long wrestling and play session.

Grizzly bears hibernate anywhere from one month to five months in the wild. Here on Grouse Mountain Grinder and Coola usually hibernate for three or four months, depending on the season.

For the next couple of weeks you can visit Grinder and Coola in their hibernation area until they have access to their full five acre habitat. We are currrently in the process of excavating all of the snow from their habitats and hope to have them ready as soon as possible!