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Lily, Holly, Deer, Nightlife - UPDATE December 10, 2016

A Lily Fan reminded us of this 9 minute, 45 second video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCMDgr5lKkQ and this 10 minute, 15 second video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd4Boj5fcao Lily, Ellie and Eli on 4/4/13Lily, Ellie and Eli on 4/4/13of Lily, Eli, and Ellie, burning up energy playing and exercising on April 4, 2013 on a nice 41-degree (F) day. They were 82 days old (born on January 12). Full of energy and probably ready to leave the den, weather and snow kept them in for another 19 days. It was the longest denning period (225 days, 7.4 months) I saw in all of my studies. Lily entered the den on September 10, 2012, and left it with Eli and Ellie on April 23, 2013 when a crust formed on the snow and the family was able to travel on top of the 2 feet of remaining snow. The cameras show good pictures of action in the den and an outside camera shows them when they come a short way out.

Yearling buckYearling buckIt was a joy to see these bears that I believe are still all alive. We don’t know where Lily denned, but she was seen late enough in the hunting season in a safe enough area that we are sure she is alive and ready to have cubs in a month or so. We do know where Jewel and her three male cubs are denned, but it is not where we can put a Den Cam. I hope next year the DNR will let me put radio-collars on a few special bears to follow to their dens to place Yearling buckYearling buckDen Cams.

Out the window, the wildlife highlight of the day was a yearling buck about 8 feet from the window lighted by the yard light as he cleaned up sunflower seeds left by the red squirrels. He spotted me in the window and looked intently (photo) but went back to eating. I don’t remember seeing him before, but he seemed comfortable.

 

  Lucky and Holly with Lily Fan captions  
At the Bear Center, a Lily Fan captured a quip from Holly.
 
Pine marten with suet Gray fox Deer
 Pine marten  Gray fox  White-tailed deer

 

The card from the trail cam gave glimpses of the nightlife around the big block of date mash—a pine marten, a gray fox, and a deer.

Thank you for all you do.

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


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