Ted and Lucky each took color tours today. Lucky surprised everyone by walking slowly down to the viewing area and getting on the scale (weight temporarily a secret because of the contest). 
LuckyHe was more interested in eating grass than peanuts or grapes.
Samantha & Kimani's cubsWe're not sure Tasha took time to notice the color. She was in a playful mood, tumbling and rolling and playing with her paws.
At the WRI last night Samantha's and Kimani's cubs played together and ate together. The cub in the foreground is Kimani's male. The other two are Samantha's. The two mothers were comfortable together. It's hard to predict what bears will do.
Nisswa 4H Black Bear ClubIt was a beautiful calm day, bugless this time of year. On a break from the desk, I snapped whatever caught my eye--a red squirrel highlighted by the bright sun, a blue jay in free-fall as it dove down to a feeding spot, and a ghostly apparition of fungus. From the decks, down through the leaves, the beavers across the bay of Woods Lake have a fresh leafy branch on top of their half hidden lodge, showing they are getting ready for winter. Also, down through the leaves in the bay a mallard is lounging on a mud flat.
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| Blue Jay Freefalling | Woods Lake | Mallard |
At 6 PM, the light was so beautiful on the yellowing trees that I had to capture a view of the yard. In the foreground is the wooden feeding spot that 21 ducks drove the crows from to crowd in voraciously. On the dock, 13 of the ducks lounged until about 6:30 PM. Then one by one they stood up, stretched one wing and then the other, and hopped off to swim toward the bay. I don't know where they spend the night. I suspect on the mud flat surrounded by water.
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| Red Squirrel | Tree Fungus |
At the Bear Center, the Black Bear 4-H Club of Nisswa, Minnesota presented the Bear Center with two bat boxes that they built for us.
The Sturbridge Luncheon is coming up Saturday, October 15, at 11:30 to 3:30. Always a fun time, it is also a fundraiser for the very successful intern program for the Bear Center--planning 8 interns for 2017.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center