Bear news around the area is that the bear still visiting the WRI is not the only one. We now know of 6 other bears still active in the area. All are believed to be male yearlings that know each other. They often hang out together in groups of up to five. After family break-up, lone yearlings spend a lot of time high up in white pines until they find play buddies and can depend upon each others’ eyes, ears, and noses. Group sizes have dwindled in the last couple days. We’ll see how things develop in this unusual year as they drift off to dens.
A surprise on one of our trail cams was this moose walking on the driveway. https://youtu.be/D4usH3zL7kg Moose numbers are down in Minnesota, and I haven’t seen a moose for over two years—since September 18, 2019.
I suspect the red fox is happy. He got five mice here yesterday and just got his first of today a moment ago. Of the five yesterday, he ate the first four and buried the last one. To bury it, he pawed at the dirt here and there until he found a place where he could easily paw a shallow depression, place the mouse in it, and nuzzle the dirt over the mouse. After eating all the mice, he is not eager for bologna.
Now at 7:10 PM, a big raccoon paused eating to watch me aim a camera at him from my desk.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center