Quill got on the scale at 5:50 PM before he ate very much last evening. 71.5 minus 15.5 = 56 pounds. I didn't realize a cub could gain over a pound a day. 
Quill AlertBy morning, he had lapped up at least 7 cups of formula. For some reason, the trail cam didn't take any pictures. I think it is working again now.
Quill lapping milkThe Quill house came yesterday, a day early. Today, four of us put it in along a trail he uses when leaving--with a trail cam near it. Peggy brought 4 bags of silver maple leaves from her yard. We put a bag inside his house and 3 bags outside for him to arrange. We hope he is interested. I don't know anyone who has done this and gotten any interest.
Lily Fans asked why I would take Donna to dumps. In the old days about 1981, when we were newly married and looking for adventure, we went to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to see bears. Dumps were where it was at. 
QuillWe visited the office of the chief of dumps for advice. He recommended a dump where the fishermen from Lake Michigan dump salmon. We took our camera gear and got ready. Bears came in, got down in the garbage pit, and waded among the salmon--ignoring them. Instead, they took bags of garbage and carried them back into the woods. Dozens of gulls consumed the salmon. Another dump was a whole different scenario. People were hand-feeding the bears. I picked a scenic spot, cleaned up the garbage, and got ready. 
Quill house with leavesShortly, a beautiful, calm bear with a closed mouth paid for the trip by becoming a cover on Field and Stream. We went from dump to dump, learning how bears react. Bears in small dumps that see few people ran when we appeared. Bears in big dumps with regular viewers walked among the people without fear. We snapped away, recording memories that still feel good.
That's why it was not a problem for us to skip Donna's birthday breakfast to unload brush at Ely's recycling dump--even though there were no bears.
Quill HouseAt 6:20 PM, we noticed Quill on the scale 71.5 minus 15 = 56.5 A few minutes later, the scale read 14.5, showing that he ate a half pound of some combination of pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, and walnuts. A flying squirrel waited its turn for awhile and then joined him! Quill eventually moved to the bowl of formula. After a lot of looking around, he lapped at a rate of 19 times per 10 seconds. He has 7 cups of formula to ingest. He is hardly bothered by people in the living room talking, watching him, and clicking. His main attention is the woods on this windy evening. He was nervous enough to go up the white pine where he is now.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center