06/04/11 Photos | Petra, Maine Wildlife Photos | Ken Anderson

06/04/11 19:56:12

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

The bear continues to look toward the trail that leads past my compost area and to the road beyond. Since the road leading through Petra, Maine sees very little automobile traffic, particularly after dark, it's possible that an ATV is traveling through, or maybe another animal is coming along the trail. Black bears are hyperwary animals.

06/04/11 19:56:11

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

This photo was taken at the same time as the last one, although it must be a separate photograph because the Truth Cam 35 doesn't repeat photos. With the camera settings on this day, the camera would take a series of five photographs in rapid succession. The bear is looking toward a trail that leads past my compost area and onward to a seasonal road that runs through Petra, Maine. Perhaps another animal is coming along the trail, or maybe an ATV is passing through on the road, since the road receives very little automobile traffic.

06/04/11 19:56:11

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

The bear turns, looking toward another trail that leads past my compost area to the seasonal road that cuts through the hundred acres of Petra, Maine. Bears don't have very good vision but they make up for it with wariness and excellent senses of smell and hearing.

The size of a black bear's territory is thought to be less in Maine than in other parts of the United States and Canada, possibly only a five mile radius, or less than eighty square miles. This may be because Maine has an abundance of natural resources that could meet the animal's needs within a smaller area. If this is the same bear as we saw in photographs taken ten minutes ago, this particular bear shows up on camera sometimes every day, and seldom less often than every few days, so I don't think he strays too far from Petra.

06/04/11 19:56:09

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

The Primos Truth Cam 35 wildlife camera is mounted to a tree facing an animal trail in the forests of Petra, Maine. The Truth Cam is activated by a combination of movement and body heat. Depending on camera settings, the camera will snap from three to five photographs in rapid succession. I have it set at five, so there will generally be five photos in a row in which the subject has not moved much, but they are not identical. The Maine black bear continues to sniff along the ground. In the direction that he is facing, he would soon leave the clearing and enter another animal trail leading to the north.

06/04/11 19:56:08

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

I am not certain that this is the same bear as the one in previous photographs but it may be. Although the bear looks a bit different to me, both are approximately the same size and only about ten minutes has gone by. The camera has switched to night mode, and that may be what is making the bears look somewhat different to me. My best guess is that it's the same bear. During the ten minute intermission, he may have checked out the compost area, since it's nearer to the road along the same animal path.

06/04/11 19:45:23

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

The Maine black bear is about to flip the salt lick over so that he can get a look at the other side. When I retrieved the disk from my wildlife camera, I noticed that the salt lick had been moved but that it was still on the log.

The camera is a Primos Truth Cam 35, which has been mounted on a tree nearby, facing an animal trail. This bear has been photographed and caught on video in this location several times. In fact, when I first visited this part of the forests of Petra, Maine, I could see signs of bears having been here, so I believe that it's a comfort zone for this one. Later, another bear will also make an appearance here, not at the same time as this one, but within about ten minutes of one another.

06/04/11 19:45:21

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

The North American black bear is a forest species with a preference for open forests. Dense forests and cedar swamps provide cover, while intermittent clearings and other semi-open areas often include fruit-bearing shrubs, edible grasses, insects, and small animals, which the bear can use for food. This Maine black bear is investigating a salt lick that I had placed on a log for the deer and moose who also travel this animal trail.

06/04/11 19:45:20

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

Despite its size and strength, the Maine black bear is among the shyest of wild animals. Its tendency is to run first, then to circle back to see what it had run from. In the forests of Maine, where bears have plenty of cover and ample resources for survival, bears generally remain hidden from human eyes. However, in places such as national parks, where man comes to be seen, not as a threat, but as a source of food, bears have been known to panhandle or become more aggresive toward humans. Most wild bear attacks take place in national forests or parks.

06/04/11 19:45:19

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

Most of what most of us grow up learning about black bears is wrong. They are not the cuddly balls of fur that some people would have us believe, but neither are they the crazed killers that others imagine them to be. Bears may attack a human being if they feel threatened, or for other reasons that only a bear would know or be able to appreciate, but they rarely view people as food, and they are far more likely to run from you than attack you, whatever the circumstances.

Most bear attacks are initiated by caged or pet bears whose natural instincts have been changed by captivity, and whose environments are unnatural. In the wild, most bear attacks have occurred in national or state forests, which are artificial environments in which bears may have come to associate people with food, either from the direct feeding of bears or careless camping habits.

Each black bear has a comfort zone that is individual to the bear. This is an area around the bear in which it is unsafe to intrude. Entering the personal space of the bear will cause the animal to feel threatened, and may result in an attack. Even so, a black bear is more likely to retreat than to become aggresive. Perceived attacks are usually mock charges, designed to encourage an intruder to leave the personal space of the bear. Running from a mock charge may encourage the bear to continue pursuing the person, possibly resulting in a genuine attack, so running is not advised.

06/04/11 19:45:17

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

If the Maine black bear were to continue around the brush pile, in the direction he is facing, he would arrive at an animal trail that leads through the forest, past several small clearings, eventually leading to a dense cedar swamp which lies at the southern boundaries of Petra, Maine. In this case, however, the bear appears to be examining a salt lick that I had placed here for the deer and moose.

06/04/11 19:45:00

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:45:03 -0400

It is 7:45 p.m. on June 4, 2011. My Primos Truth Cam 35 wildlife camera has been mounted to a tree here in the forests of Petra, Maine for several days. Earlier this same day, I had retrieved its data disk, inserted a new one, and set it to take still photographs, as it had been set for video previously.

This is a favorite area for this Maine black bear. I believe that it is the same one that has shown up in previous photographs and videos here and in other Petra locations. It seems that he is comfortable here, as he generally hangs out here rather than simply passing through. I did put some apples down here for the deer and moose once some weeks ago, which the bear ate, but I do not make a habit of baiting the area. When I first came here, I could see signs of a bear in the shredded logs and the bark missing from the small birch near the center of the screen.

An animal trail passes through the area, and continues on into the tree line straight ahead in the direction that the camera is pointed. In that direction, one would pass by my compost area and finally reach a seasonal road that goes through our property. In the opposite direction, the trail leads further into the forest. Another less traveled but easily identifiable trail leads off into the woods to the left and right.