SAFE HAVEN FOR BLACK BEARS
Visitors eager to catch a glimpse of animals at Alligator River refuge
EAST LAKE, N.C. — With her two cubs munching nearby, a mama bear stood in a bean field Wednesday looking toward a truck parked nearby.
Her paws were up around her chest and her was nose was raised, sniffing the air. Her round ears were focused forward, resembling satellite dishes.
That is the pose that a steady stream of wildlife watchers and photographers are looking for at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. A model in Vogue couldn’t do it better.
Dozens of tourists — and locals — are showing up each day to rumble over the 150 miles of unpaved roads that crisscross the refuge’s 160,000 acres of forests, swamps and cultivated fields.
It’s a prime black bear habitat. They are photogenic and available.
The best way to access the refuge is to take U.S. 64 west about 15 miles from Nags Head to the Dare County community of East Lake. A few roads such as Milltail Road or Buffalo City Road intersect with the highway.
It is not unusual to spot a dozen or more in a couple of hours. Wildlife watchers drive slowly along the roads and stop when they see a black spot contrasting with the fields of green, yellow and brown.
“You see them poke their head up and look around,” said Joyce Walton of Charlottesville.
For Walton and her husband, Rusty, the trip to the refuge is a tradition. Twoorthree times a year, they stop by while vacationing in Nags Head. Rusty drives while Joyce takes pictures of the bears and other creatures, such as owls, hawks, otters and alligators.
“If you come in the morning you can usually see them,” Rusty said. “The evening is even better.”
The best way to access the refuge is to take U.S. 64 west about 15 miles from Nags Head to the Dare County community of East Lake. A few roads such as Milltail Road or Buffalo City Road intersect with the highway.
Crops are planted in sections between tracts of woods, ideal habitat for black bears. They spend hours eating grass seeds and soybeans in the open fields and feast on acorns and berries in the woods. As omnivores, they also eat frogs, grubs, insects and honey.
“I don’t think they are super choosy,” said Becky Harrison, supervisory refuge biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“They’re packing on the pounds.”
Bears will eat 20,000 calories a day as they get ready for winter, she said.
Theyhaveasense of smell better than a bloodhound, but that does not keep them from eating even with humans around, Harrison said.
Melissa Marshall of Madison Heights, Virginia, and her family visited the refuge earlier this month. They saw one bear standing in a field not far from buildings used by refuge staff. Later, they came upon another one walking ahead of their vehicle. She snapped some photos before he ambled away.
“I don’t think we have ever been and not saw at least one,” she said.
Black bears thrive in the miles of open fields and large expanse of woodlands in northeastern North Carolina. The refuge supports a bear or two for each of its 237 square miles, Harrison said.
Their range has expanded steadily since the 1970s, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Adult females weight about 200 pounds while males range from 200 to more than 700 pounds, according to the commission.
Young bears stay with their mothers for about 18 months. The males typically mate and move on, Harrison said. In the moderate climate of the state’s coastal plain, male bears can stay active all winter rather than hibernate.
Black bears are not typically aggressive toward humans, but do not get too close or try to feed them, Harrison said. A pair of binoculars helps. The best viewing times are early morning and late evening in the spring and fall. As the weather cools, mosquitos and biting flies are not bad.
Bear watchers should be patient, she said. Park the car, turn off the engine and wait awhile. They will show themselves.
“Just watch quietly,” she said.