This last winter in the Picos got off to an amazing start bear-wise. First up was a young male seen ambling through a street in Caloca, one of the highest villages of Liébana. Next were a female with cub seen from the same village, though this time on the outskirts, feeding through December and into January on the edge of the woods. Although heavy snow had fallen, the pair were finding the buried fruits of an abundant autumn worth not hibernating. This star pair drew crowds of interested naturalists, 'scopes and bins trained on them from the mirador (viewpoint) just below the village. Members of the Fundación Oso Pardo and personel of the Cantabrian ministry for the environment did a sterling job of managing traffic and ensuring the animals foraged undisturbed.
Watch the film and ignore the silly music.
