Snarling and cowering
25-28 Feb
Winter Study
notes from the field
An alpha female of Chippewa Harbor Pack cowers as a young female snarls (left) and an alpha male takes interest in a younger wolf.
25 Feb – Middle Pack finally gave up guarding the calf carcass that Romeo had killed. They traveled NE to within a mile of Florence Bay, where they discovered a depression in the snow on top of a beaver dam. The subordinate wolves gathered, tails wagging, jostling each other for a closer look. They watched and waited for the alpha male who was bringing up the rear. After applying his nose to the simple depression in the snow, he marched to the nearest tuft of brown grass, poking out of the snow. He raised his leg, urinated, and then tore at the snow with his paws. Middle Pack had found a site where Romeo had bedded before he had completely exited from Middle Pack territory, a few days earlier.
At that moment Romeo was 16 miles further to the Northeast. Alone, but safe within his parent’s territory. He fed from the carcass of a moose his parents had killed a few days earlier. While he fed, Romeo’s parents and siblings had traveled more than 10 miles to the southwest, passing through an old kill site near Hatchet Lake. Tracks on Hatchet Lake suggest that two of the Chippewa Harbor Pack (CHP) wolves mated on the ice. We caught up with CHP shortly after they left Hatcher Lake – up over Mount Siskiwit and half way to Lake Siskiwit.
More loner tracks just a mile northeast of Windigo – another reminder that there’s so much more going on out here than we know about.
26 Feb – Near the edge of a spruce stand, about a mile southwest of Little Todd Harbor: The wolves of Middle Pack approached slowly, the moose eventually stood up. From our view, the moose showed no sign of alarm. The wolves never approached too close. The moose gradually maneuvered to a safer position, with a downed spruced to his rear. The wolves kept a safe distance – 25 yards or so. For an hour, we circled above in the Flagship. The moose milled around. The wolves did the same. The wind increased, and we could no longer comfortably continue circling the scene. We flew home.
27 Feb – Wind.
28 Feb – More wind, no flying. Rolf and I learned a bit from reviewing images and comparing notes. CHP has for several years been led by a pair of wolves that are both easily identified by their light-grey fur. However, we noticed that a darker-colored female has captured the attention of the alpha male. From our notes:
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2/21 – CHP(6) socializing on Moskey Basin. The alpha male courted a young, dark-colored female. She was somewhat receptive, but not overtly… with a tense expression, bordering on a snarl. Then the light-colored alpha female came between the couple and cowered after the young female snarled at the alpha female (see image above). The alpha male stood over the alpha female; she play-solicited, but he was not too friendly about it all. Then the young female closely followed the alpha female… rather bold in her attendance.
The alpha female’s fur was matted and caked with snow – suggesting her coat was in poor condition and not very insulative. Another photo suggests she was thin.
2/25(am) – Tracks across Harvey Lake suggest that wolves in CHP had mated, but which wolves, and how many (2 or 3)?
2/25(late am) – CHP(8) bedded on a drainage North of Lake Siskiwit. The alpha male slept near a dark-colored wolf, and the alpha female slept by herself (see the image below, left).
2/25(pm) – Female power struggle continues in CHP. Estrus blood can be seen on the alpha female. She walked parallel a young female. The alpha female seemed to be trying to move the younger female aside. At one point the alpha male came between the two females. The alpha female responded by crouching in a low submissive posture after a hard stare from the alpha male (below right).
