At first, the big black head is barely visible behind a log. But within a few seconds it becomes clear what is making the splashing noise: A large black bear is enjoying a springtime dip.

Resting on its haunches in the pool of a stream, the bear lazily bobs around in the water before deciding to use the log to scratch its head, neck and belly. It flops over the log from one pool to another, obviously in no hurry to leave its cool swimming hole for the bug-filled forest.

Unbeknownst to the bear, its day at the spa was captured on film by a video camera carefully camouflaged on a nearby tree.

The video is one of dozens of glimpses into the private, normally unseen lives of the Maine woodland creatures featured on a multimedia, educational program created by a group of volunteers at Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

More than a dozen cameras recorded hordes of photos and hundreds of hours of video of often unsuspecting, wild animals behaving, well, like wild animals in the 11,000-acre refuge near Old Town.

Fishers scavenge for morsels. A squirrel scampers about only to become lunch for a hawk. Several bobcats tensely share a deer carcass. And a cow moose, curious but unspooked by the camera, gets so close to the lens that a viewer could count chin hairs.

But this critter version of “Candid Camera” is not just for entertainment purposes.

Project organizers Bryan and Pam Wells have created a computer program – complete with detailed information on each animal species – that aims to educate the public and children in particular about wildlife living in their backyard.

The Wellses, who are part of the volunteer group Friends of Sunkhaze Meadows, are making the program available to teachers for free online and on disc for a small fee in hopes that it will become part of science teachers’ repertoire.

The program features information on nearly 20 species’ eating habits, habitat needs, appearance, threats to their survival as well as a quiz on each animal.

“I think it’s been a good partnership between the Friends and the refuge,” said Tom Comish, assistant manager of Sunkhaze. “So we are generally supportive and hope to be able to educate some children about the refuge and the animals.”

The couple also hopes the project will spark additional interest in Sunkhaze which, like many other federal refuges nationwide, is experiencing a budget crunch.

“The next goal is to see if [the program] becomes something that people associate with Sunkhaze … and gets people to think about why the refuge is there and why it is important to protect it,” said Wells, president of the Friends group.

An amateur wildlife researcher, Wells bought his first waterproof film cameras about five years ago and obtained a permit to place them inside the refuge. Wells got enough pictures of coyotes, bears and other animals to further fuel his interest in “remote sensing” photography.

Wells borrowed several more cameras from Clay Nielsen, an assistant scientist and wildlife ecologist at the University of Southern Illinois’ Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, who had experience with remote-sensing photography.

Nielsen then helped Wells apply for two $5,000 grants, which paid for additional equipment for a two-year study in Sunkhaze. Students and staff at the University of Southern Illinois also helped provide the detailed species information featured on the educational program.

Wells used a variety of remote-sensing camera set-ups, but the basic package involved a still picture or video camera connected to infrared sensors that detected movement or changes in temperature.

When an animal or anything else triggered the beam, the sensors told the camera to snap a picture or to begin filming. Infrared lights allowed video cameras to catch nocturnal animals in the act, while flashes illuminated the darkness momentarily for still photographs.

Wells often used scented lures, roadkill or donated animal carcasses to lure animals into view of the cameras.

Nearly every weekend, Bryan and Pamela Wells would trek into the refuge to check the cameras, replace batteries or perform other maintenance.

During their two years of operation, the cameras caught many fascinating glimpses into animals’ everyday lives, from hares grazing on flowers to bald eagles reluctantly sharing a dead deer with a crowd of ravens. Coyotes, barred owls, otters, porcupines and plenty of bobcats also make appearances.

One camera caught a white short-tailed weasel, also known as an ermine, attacking a pheasant carcass hanging from a rope as if it were the last food in the refuge.

“He devoted more energy to leaping and biting off of that thing than he could ever get out of it,” Wells said.

Bears were not camera-shy either. One video gives viewers an inside look at a bear’s mouth and claws as the animal attempts to get inside the camera case. The camera survived, although the glass on the outside of the case had to be replaced, Wells said.

While the cameras have been pulled out of Sunkhaze, the Wellses continue to film wildlife on the 1,100 acres they own adjacent to the refuge. On a recent weekend, the couple and another volunteer from Friends of Sunkhaze checked on several cameras.

The trip yielded video of two more moose – one cow and one bull – as well as a sizable buck. Bryan Wells said his current goal is to gather more footage of otters, minks and foxes.

“I’ll never really finish this,” Wells said.

Videos, photographs and the education program are available online at http://www.sunkhaze.org. Copies may be ordered for $8 each, plus shipping, by e-mailing info@sunkhaze.org or calling 827-6138.