Tag: bear wallow

Bear napping at a desert spring

The monsoon rain this year was hit or miss and so any water source, no matter how small, benefited the animals. Not just for drinking, but for attracting prey species including insects and small mammals. These water sources also offered an opportunity to cool off from the intense desert heat. This bear visited the spring several times over a week, drinking his fill of water and then laying in the water to nap and cool off.

Little bear antics

Bears are still out and fattening up in the Sky Island mountain ranges in Arizona. This sow and her cub visited the bear wallow for a swim several times over the last couple of weeks. It won’t be long before they find their cave and curl up for the winter.

Sleepy bear

This tiny waterhole in the Sonoran Desert is generally really popular with birds and small mammals. Recently, though, a bear has decided it’s a great place to rest and relax. He spent about an hour there, just hanging out. The spines in his muzzle are from prickly pear cactus and, based on the nearby bear scat, he was eating the cactus fruits.

Black bear nap time

In the Sonoran Desert, any water is precious. This little seep provides water for many desert critters, including this sleepy male black bear. I suspect he was down amongst the saguaro cacti to feed on their many ripe red fruits that have fallen to the ground.

A bear cub, deer fawns, and ring-tailed cats

This morning I checked a series of trail cams I’ve set up at water sources in a drainage in the mountainous desert near Tucson. These spots have, usually, held water throughout the hot dry season before monsoon rains are due. This year the monsoon rains have been few and far between in this area so these water sources have been a very important resource for local wildlife.

A cinnamon sow and her cub
A ring-tailed cat family
Twin fawns visit Little Bear Pool

Bear sign and wallow

This morning I checked a few cameras in an area where bears have been active over the last few years. Bears have likely been visiting this spot for ages before I placed cameras there. The first clue of recent activity were new tracks and marks at an old bear marking tree. The second was murky water in the spring pool and wet vegetation nearby.

©GregJoder

This bear seems to have a new injury to his left ear. It must be brutal out there. The stories he could tell… This will also help in IDing this guy if/when he shows up again.

Black bear bath time

About two years ago I found an old, abandoned cattle trough that still held water. I realize now that it is an old spring box that still receives water from a nearby spring. The good thing is, it stays full of water during the Arizona dry season (between the winter rains and summer monsoons) and so is an important water source for local wildlife during times of water scarcity. For bears, water is not just a resource to drink, but also to wallow in and relax:

Greg Joder 2023