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Dropping, Sharing - UPDATE October 5, 2016

The last two days were the great needle drop. During the several days of no wind, the old white pine needles must have been getting ready to drop. Pine marten malePine marten maleThen came two days of wind with the needles dropping off like I've never seen. White pine needles last 18 months on the tree. A new set starts in the spring. That fall the old needles drop. So they drop half their needles each fall while the new set goes through the winter to drop the next fall.

White pine needles fallingWhite pine needles fallingThe ground became covered with a layer of needles these last two days. The picture shows the layer just a few hours into the great needle drop yesterday. White pine needles are five to a cluster.

White pine needlesWhite pine needlesLast night, Samantha's and Kimani's cubs were playing again, with the most vigorous play being between Samantha's little Lucy and Kimani's big male. Samantha's cubs are named Lucy and Ricky and Fred and Ethel.

CrowsCrowsWe thought the gulls were gone, but after a week of not seeing any, the juvenile came back today for four slices of bologna. The picture shows the last two going down.

The clean-up crew had a new member today--our first dark-eyed junco of the fall cleaning up bits of walnut.

Juvenile herring gull bolognaJuvenile herring gull bolognaCrows were eating the leftover black oil sunflower seeds from the same tray we saw in the update two nights ago.

The big male pine marten sampled the date mash and (pictured) the black oil sunflower seeds.

Curator Sharon is off to a bear conference, so no word on the ambassador bears today.

Dark-eyed juncoDark-eyed juncoThe pillow rock discussion last night was people who preferred not to have the rock moved.  I told reporters that if the community truly does not want the rock moved, the Bear Center doesn't want it.  But if the rock were to be moved I thought the educational Bear Center would be the best place for it as an outdoor portion of the upcoming exhibit on the geological history of the area and a place where it would promote the City of Ely and learning.

 

We'll see what happens. Nothing will be decided for a few months.

Thank you for all you do.

Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center


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