My Morning Cup: Football...Bears and Finnegan

Sad news...as the triplet on the left (901's) is now missing, and presumed dead.

This one was hard- as we've watched these three since Summer.

The only set of triplets left:

Amelia's (708)

And we have lost 6 of this year's cubs.

Mike Fitz says that only 1 in three survives the first few years...and that is why they usually don't assign names or numbers until they are older.

This is only my second year with the bear-folk and unless there are distinct markings, scars, or sometimes activities...my identification skills are limited to (maybe) 10 or so bears.

Out of hundreds.

Some of the bear-folk not only know most of them by sight...but have vacationed at Katmai and actually seen some of them in person.

I know Otis...with his floppy ear and #7 shed pattern on his shoulder. Light brown.

747...with his massive bulk and torn ears. Chocolate colored.

Chunk...with a zig-zag scar running down his muzzle compliments of Grazer last year. Also dark chocolate brown.

856...an enormous dark brown (almost black) boar with perpetually laid back ears who looks like a pissed-off chihuahua when wet.

Grazer...blond with a 0-furious temper in seconds...this year with a huge bite/open area on her back leg.

Scuba Steve...who has a dive and splash approach to fishing. Dark brown.

Scanner...who fishes in the jaccuzi area and head moves back and forth continuously. Caramel brown.

Holly....who is just huge this year and has a distinctive backside...blond with a dark t-bottom appearance.

Gully...who fishes the lip of the falls...hanging his long neck and head over like Snoopy's vulture...oh, and he earned his name by eating seagulls. Caramel brown.

Ben...whose blond ears on his otherwise dark brown body look like headlights.

and Bucky Dent...who is a uniform dark brown...scarless...kind of a clown...with a swirl of darker brown fur between his eyes that looks like a dent.

It's a process.

And some are Fall Bears...only just now arriving.

Salt and Pepper (831 & 821)

Siblings

and 602...

and Zombear...

who likes to walk up-right..a lot.

Yesterday, we saw The Clash of The Titans...as 747 and Chunk got in several kerfuffles over territory and fishing rights.

But the spawn is nearly over and the die-off has begun and everyone is scooping pounds of dead and dying salmon out of the river...even the cubs are joining in.