Lily, Ambassadors, Etc. - UPDATE March 30, 2016
Pileated male
Pileated male
Last Thursday, we trekked to Lily?s den to change the trail cam cards and video?whatever was easy and legal. They had been out but not more than 9 feet from the den entrance. I?m not sure how many had ventured, because only one and a half of the yearlings emerged while we were there?Frankie (fully out sniffing around) and Francis (halfway out just watching). They could have made all the sign we saw around the entrance. Lily and Frannie made no move to emerge but the trail cam cards will reveal who had been out in the previous days. I wish we could have had a Den Cam in their den this winter to see how often these three yearlings suckled through the winter. No one knew yearlings did that before our Den Cams, and I?d like to finish off a good data set on that for publication. With no sign of milk over winter, the yearlings keep their urge to suckle. After emergence, some mothers get their milk back and the suckling pays off. Gordon Burghardt would probably know the literature on suckling. I suspect it is comforting, too. I?m looking forward to getting the pictures from Lorie when she can.
Red squirrel
Red squirrel
The urge to play continues all winter, too. I would have liked to see how often the 3 yearlings played. In other dens, Fern and Herbie played very little, but Hope played a lot as a yearling, and I believe Lily and yearling Faith reformed their bonds through play in their den.
Feeding usually starts in late April when aspen catkins and willow catkins form and snow fleas become active and gather into clusters. The bears tear into logs a bit, too. Their stomachs are shrunk from their months of fasting.
At the Bear Center, Ted made short work of his two heads of romaine and carrots a couple days ago, but Lucky and Holly weren?t interested enough to come out of the den when their curator, Sharon Herrell, used her voice that usually means food.
Red squirrel
Red squirrel
We?re in no hurry to start the bears eating. They?ll let us know when they are ready by coming down to the feeding area and responding to food on the scale. We want to keep things as natural as can be and not force food on them and start the weight gain too early. Ted walks better if he is not too heavy. Round Honey is looking extra good. We?re anxious to get weights on both of them.
We?re doubly anxious to get weights on Lucky and Holly after their active winter of play. They have kept their wild shapes so far in their lives. We love to see them run and climb, which bears do less and less when they become obese.
A 20-minute break outside was especially pleasant today. Nine red squirrels watched but didn?t run as I came slowly out the door. As I stood quietly I heard big wings go by and saw a pileated sweep around and back, landing by the suet 10 feet away. He was a male with a full red crown and the red mustache stripe. He held still for a sharp picture as I slowly raised the camera and clicked. The phone rang inside, and I had to move more than the woodpecker was comfortable with. He flew a short way to a tree as I went inside.
Deer eating
eating more
and running away
Out a window on the south side of the Wildlife Research Institute cabin, the sun has been bouncing off the building, melting the snow, and warming the ground for days now. Seven deer were busy with bits of green. Almost straight down from a window, a deer was finding longer blades. Farther out, a deer was rapidly nipping short sprigs of grass from an area that was mostly brown yet. They eventually moved on with a straggler fawn from last year hurrying to catch up.
It reminded me of yesterdays video from Martyn Stewart and its words, ?It?s a wonderful world.?
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
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Topic: Jewel and her cubs (Read 2360091 times)