With all the play Lucky and Holly have been doing lately, including the 6:32-video captured by a Lily Fan this afternoon, 
Red squirrel eating snowwe’re looking forward to the Dynamic Duo continuing their friendly, almost romantic, play outside the den. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm-gfhaAVKQ
Last year Holly and Lucky came out of hibernation on March 19th and Ted on March 26th.
PileatedAt the Bear Center, we finally got the taxidermy birds that will liven up the “Living and Camping with Black Bears” exhibit and the “Four Seasons” exhibit. One of the birds is the loon that will make a nice exhibit in itself. It drowned tangled in fishing line, and ended up being donated to the Bear Center by a conservation officer/friend. The fishing line will be part of the exhibit. The loon is Minnesota’s State Bird, and its calls are the signature sounds of the lake country here.
WoodchucksOut the window, the winter birds are still here, including the year-round resident pileated woodpecker whose face looked striking in the setting sun. A red squirrel demonstrated that black bears are not the only animals that eat snow, holding his own little snow cone. The woodchuck is still gathering bedding that we think means baby woodchucks. We’re looking forward to scenes like this picture from a few years ago.
Chickadee liftPictures sometimes show things a person wouldn’t notice by looking. When chickadees come in for a landing with their wings cupped, the feathers on their upper back flutter up in the wind but not when they land with their wings in a different position. We think the cupped wings create lift that sucks their back feathers up for an instant. Some say airplanes are patterned after birds to achieve that lift—especially when airplanes put their flaps down. We haven’t noticed that on other birds though.
Lily Fans are continuing to share their good ideas for the Legacy Wall and merchandise at the Bear Center. You are coming up with ideas we never would have thought of. Don’t stop. I am excited to see what we can make of these opportunities.
A reminder. Juliet and her cubs Sam, Sybil, and Sophie will be on Nat Geo Wild in a 1-hour documentary ‘Fight for Life: Bad News Black Bears’ on Thursday, March 16 at 6 PM EDT and 5 PM CDT.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center