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60 Degrees (F) and Melting – UPDATE April 26, 2013

Jewel's familyJewel's familyLily is hanging tight to the inaccessable spot she moved to Wednesday evening—a quarter mile from her den.  She and her cubs are most likely at a large white pine this time—hopefully one with bare dry ground at the base.  If not, she’ll know how to ‘make do.’ 

Yearling climbs saplingsYearling climbs saplings and danglesJewel and her yearlings engaged in some of the ‘crazy bear’ exuberant play we mentioned in the April 22, 2013 update about Lily.  The video of Jewel roughly dragging a yearling shows why we are glad the bears we study are not interested in playing with us.  The yearling that got dragged had had enough play, too.  When Jewel started toward him or her again, he or she ran.

Yearling notices butterfly (circled)Yearling notices butterfly (circled)Later, we saw calmer play when a yearling chased the first butterfly of the year.  Other signs of spring today were the first Northern Flicker (Colaptes aureus), the first Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus), and the first Compton Tortoiseshell butterfly (Nymphalis vaualbum)—in addition to the butterfly the yearling chased.  This evening we watched Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianusand Marsh Hawks (Circus cyaneus) as they migrated north.

Jewel and yearlingsJewel and yearlingsVideos of Jewel and her yearlings—including the butterfly and the rough play—are Part I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cl3ubsbHQw, and Part II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6knwDzpVcA.

Jewel and yearlingJewel and yearlingWe noticed some confusion about our request for donated taxidermy.  We were not requesting that anyone shoot any animal so we could have it stuffed.  We need specimens that have already been taxidermied that people are willing to donate.  We missed several needed animals in the list last night—beaver, muskrat, and mink, actually any taxidermied mammal or bird of Minnesota’s Northwoods.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center

All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.


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