Myra, NABC, Adam, Spring is Springing - UPDATE May 6, 2023
Woodchuck
Many volunteers from a few years back will remember Myra Fournier who passed away this morning from cancer. She was the Bear Center’s volunteer coordinator for years back in the days of the den cams. She was so smart about so many things and was a traveler and adventurer. We will miss her.
On a happier note, yesterday was the 16th anniversary of the opening of the North American Bear Center. Time flies. We never guessed the Center would get the recognition it does, being the number one Ely destination on Trip Advisor summer after summer and recently being recognized as the top science center to visit in Minnesota. It has a great staff, and is going gangbusters.
Pine warbler male
Pine warbler male
Yellow-rumped warbler male
Yellow-rumped warbler male
Out the window at the WRI, early warblers are starting to come through—a yellow-rumped warbler and a pine warbler, only males seen so far.
The local woodchuck gave me a good look at his face and ear a couple days ago, showing that he is the one from last year. His mixed vegetable food tray outside my window had another taker today—the raven that is getting more accustomed to me at my desk. I think of ravens as helping to clean up carcasses alongside eagles and turkey vultures, but this raven was gobbling down mixed vegetables that started out as a bag of frozen soup mix vegetables. Today was the first time the raven would look up at me at my desk some 8-10 feet away and continue eating.
Herring gull female w/mouse
Herring gull female w/mouse
Today, a female herring gull discovered a dead mouse in her feeding spot and went for it. Before she could swallow it, her mate flew down as the picture shows, but she didn’t share and he didn’t try to take it. She quickly swallowed it.
As it gets dark, beavers are swimming across the fully open water of Woods Lake. Other lakes are now opening up, too. Robinson, always an early lake to open, is now fully open, too. Deeper lakes now have blackening ice or are partly open. As I wrote this, three trumpeter swans flew over low, probably heading to the open bay of Eagles Nest Lake One.Mystery male, maybe Adam
Mystery male, maybe Adam
A new bear coming here now is probably Adam, the five-year-old great-great grandson of Shadow. I say probably because he lost his facial hair to mange during hibernation, and it will be awhile before it grows out enough to fully recognize him, but his behavior and weight (272#) and early date of arrival makes him our best guess.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
