Dark-eyed JuncoHolly’s bed near the base of her white pine refuge tree is as good as a wild bed, and it has cedar pieces in it for bedding like we have seen wild bears do. They do it especially when there is snow on the ground, as in the picture, that makes it hard to rake ground bedding from under the snow. So they break off cedar boughs or other conifer boughs (but especially cedar boughs) to chew up like we saw Lily do in 2010. Notice all the little pieces of cedar in the bed.
Holly's BedThe snow will be just a brief encore of the Northland’s Winter Wonderland, but it seemed fitting to include a picture of a dark-eyed junco, locally known as a “snowbird” because they migrate through when snow is present. They used to be called slate-colored juncos, which is as descriptive as dark-eyed junco.
Aquarium arrivalThe aquarium arrived today. The picture shows it being taken off the semi by our friends at Voyageur Lumber Company. In a couple days, they will load it on a truck and drive it to the Bear Center, followed by a forklift to help get it in place on the beautiful ultra-sturdy platform Don built for it.
Early tomorrow I drive to St. Paul for the appeal hearing and to work on pictures for the upper walls of the Northwoods Ecology Hall at Artworks, a couple miles from the hearing. I’ll be back tomorrow night too late to write an update, so I can’t pass on information about the hearing until Thursday.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.