The 4 bears are the Ambassador Bears. Ted was his sweet self, as always. When I stopped in to snap his picture, he made the effort to get up and come see me. 
Sweet old TedI felt honored. He started with a sleepy yawn, came to the fence, propped up his front half, and licked my hand awhile. Sharon put an interesting cap on the interaction, offering him half of a pecan. She said he rejected it and she has it in her pocket. Interesting that he has been eating blades of grass but rejected one of his favorite nuts. Shows there is more to learn.
Holly emergesAt Holly and Lucky’s den, there were no tracks outside. As far as we know, they had not been out for months, but Holly immediately got up and came out to greet her three visitors—Scott, Sharon, and myself. Lucky soon followed, yawning long and repeatedly. They walked around a little and went back in.
Ted and Lucky’s yawns differ in that 20-year-old Ted’s canine teeth broke off years ago and 10-year-old Lucky still has his, which is why he can dominate the larger Ted.
Then came the main purpose of my visit—to get a shot of Tasha in her wild den. Not to be. Crusted snow covers her den with no visible air hole. Most wild dens have an air hole that keeps the inside temperature within a degree or two of the outside temperature. Tasha is likely escaping the colder temperatures and maintaining a more average temperature, which is closer to what she would have in her home state of Kentucky. Earlier, Scott saw steam seeping out of a hole a few feet from her entrance. I wish we had a thermometer under the snow and maybe still have time to do that.
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| Ted yawns | Lucky emerges... | and yawns | Tashas den |
These 3 birds are the bird pictures that were supposed to be in last night’s update (and now added).
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| Chickadee | Red-breasted nuthatch | Red-breasted nuthatch |
This bat flew across my desk and landed on a curtain this evening. I believe it is a healthy big brown bat that was hibernating somewhere in the Wildlife Research Institute.
Brown bat in the WRI
The other day we put bread out to see if it would be selected by any birds over our usual sunflower seeds, bacon, date mash, and suet. Lily Fans did a literature search and found that bread is not only undesirable as bird food if it is moldy, it is undesirable because of its low nutritional value. We appreciate the information and have not put any more bread out after that one day.
Pine marten femaleAfter the excitement of the day, Ms. Marten stopped by just outside my desk window after dark, lit by the deck light, to add excitement to the night, and that might not be the end of it. We just got an email that this will be a big night for northern lights, also called the Aurora Borealis.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center