Woodchuck carrying bedding
Lucky has now been spotted out of his den as "Taught" caught in this 4-minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCeHISjW0us&t=4s. Last evening, he stepped out for bite after bite of snow.
Also last evening, "Taught" caught an interesting exchange between Holly and Tasha in this 1:19-minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35MIkZdZXpo. Holly walked casually past the entrance to Tasha’s den as Tasha showed her anxiety by pouncing toward the entrance, slapping the ground, blowing, and clacking her teeth. Holly all but ignored her and demonstrated dominance by marking the vegetation near Tasha’s den. Holly walked over bushes, straddling them to have them rub under her belly. From what I’ve seen in the wild, bears urinate on the bushes in this situation. It is a form of scent-marking. She also stood up to rub trees. We’ll see how they interact when they are both out and about. Even though Tasha is slightly larger, Holly is older and has been the dominant one. Their brief interaction last evening suggests that Holly’s dominance is continuing.
At the WRI, a woodchuck that might be a third one or the same one as yesterday (photo not good enough) gave a clue that young woodchucks will be appearing later this spring. She gathered mouthful after mouthful of leaves (photo) and carried them into a burrow under the boiler shed. We are coming into the time woodchucks give birth.
This is also the time red foxes begin to give birth. A problem is that Pretty Girl has not been around lately even though Bob cat (the bobcat) has not been around either. One of these days, I want to look and listen at an old rock fox den in the area where she has been spotted lately.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center