![]() Berries, insects, and roots form a large part of the American Black Bear’s diet, and a few pawfuls of birdseed would be a perfect addition to the menu. But even if you’ve put away any human food, don’t forget about bird feeders.īears are omnivores that eat a wide variety of food. Churchill has had record-breaking heat waves this week, so the choices the bears make will continue to teach us about how they are responding to a warming world.In bear country, food left outside or uncovered trash cans can become irresistible targets for bears looking for a quick snack. Until then, we will monitor the ear-tagged bears to see when and where they come ashore. ![]() Overall, it was a great season and I look forward to next year. Back in the lab, scientists look at isotopes and pollutants in these samples and compare them to samples from the polar bear’s main prey, ringed seals, to find early warning signs of how this ecosystem is changing. For example, we were able to collect samples, like hair, to add to a long-term database. While that aspect was not as successful, other parts of the project were positive. Derocher has had in over 30 years of field research, due to the poor weather and sketchy ice conditions. It was the most difficult season that Dr. This spring we were able to deploy only 10 GPS ear tags out of a possible 20. This can help us spot a seal kill and backtrack to a polar bear. When we spot a bird flying far out on the sea ice, we alert the crew and try to find where it came from. When the birds hear a helicopter buzz up above they take flight, becoming easy to spot from the air. Arctic foxes follow polar bears on the ice and wait their turn to feast on leftovers, and birds will land for their own taste of seal. When a polar bear is satiated, scavengers come in for a snack. When polar bears kill a seal, they haul it up onto the sea ice to feast but rarely pick carcasses clean this effectively brings up nutrients from below to help feed a variety of animals above. However, older kills or those tucked near a pressure ridge may be harder to see, so we also look for birds. Additionally, we try to spot seal kills: black and red splotches staining the white backdrop are easy to see and bears are often nearby. The helicopter must get close to the ice to find and follow the tracks, bopping and weaving amongst ridges while the crew strains their eyes looking for the next section of footprints below: a recipe for motion sickness. This is hard since the ice is always moving (one kilometer per hour!), breaking up tracks and making trails disjointed. When we see tracks, we follow them as long as possible, hoping to come across who left them. Second, we look for polar bear footprints. Polar bears often walk along these ridges because seals sometimes lurk inside. Luckily, we have some tricks.įirst, we follow pressure ridges, which form when pans of ice push up together from above they look like seams tying the ice together. ![]() To find the bears, we fly over land-fast (shore) and pack ice (off shore) whenever weather allows, but spotting a white bear on white ice can be difficult. This will provide insight into how these demographics respond to melting ice, show us whether they stay within their population boundaries, and allow managers to receive early warnings if the bears get too close to communities. The main focus of our work was to deploy GPS ear tags on subadult and male polar bears, allowing us to track their movements during sea ice break-up in June and July. Better information leads to better decision-making, but getting that information is tough. However, some changes, like diet shifts and increased pollution, cannot be seen easily so we must collect good data where possible.īy better understanding this ecosystem, we can better predict what will happen as sea ice continues to decline, helping us better mitigate impacts and adapt actions. Climate change is affecting this region in visible ways, including longer ice-free seasons and shifting animal populations. We have so much yet to learn about this remote and stunning ecosystem, especially considering how fast it is changing. The work is difficult and expensive, but worth it for the data collected. ![]() This research is part of a project looking at multiple aspects of Hudson Bay’s on-ice ecology.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |