Snow at WRIWith heavy snow bending saplings over the WRI driveway this morning at 4:37 AM, we figured Juliet and cubs would stay another day, and they did—now 224 days in the den for Juliet.
Cub licks water off logLily, Eli, and Ellie hunkered down where they were and took a day off from traveling. Aster continued to remain near her den. Even at the Bear Center, there wasn’t much activity.
By day’s end, most of the new snow had melted (high of 39F). Spring will again take control. The chickadees that will land on hands at WRI have been gone for weeks now, as is usual this time of year. We look forward to seeing them again next winter. Only one of the remaining chickadees will reluctantly come to a hand.
Juliet yawnsWhile 
Blue-spotted Salamanderreviewing archived den cam footage today, we noticed Juliet had an unusual visitor on Easter Sunday—a Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale)! Juliet and her cubs slept through the visit. The temperature (high 30s F) may have started the salamander on its way to a vernal pool for mating. We seldom see these because they live underground and are part of the aptly named group of mole salamanders.
RayMany technical problems have plagued Juliet’s Den Cam this winter. As a result, Den-watchers have often had to rely on archives for their data rather than live-streaming video. The archives have to be prepared for viewing—which sometimes can take days. The Den-watchers are to be highly commended for hanging in there and doing whatever it took to record data under the difficult conditions.
BernardAt the same time, we’re seeing the boundless energy of little Holly who had such a strong drive to play with the other bears at the rehab place where she lived last fall. It could be an exciting year. Holly is already comfortable with Lucky after meeting him through the 4-inch hole between their dens. She feels comfortable enough to ignore him and not waste energy with defensive bluster.
CharlieThe tongue-to-tongue truce between Ted and Lucky also is a good sign for the summer to come. We’re optimistic about the kinds of friendly interactions visitors and we will see.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center