Spanky, Chloe et al., a Woodchuck Mother, and a Bright Bird - UPDATE May 21, 2022
Not a glimpse of Spanky or Chloe, but Lincoln and Charlie Brown let us know they are fine, ultra alert, and that Charlie Brown is
beginning to exchange the nice brown fur on his face and forelegs for standard black (or close to black). Those are the parts that shed first. Soon a person will have to look twice to see if it is him when he has all dark fur. By next year, he’ll be faded to brown again. Not seeing either Chloe or Herbie today makes me wonder if they are together. They would be perfect mates if you ask me.Also, we learned that the woodchuck who lives under the boiler shed is a mother (see picture) with babies that are called pups, kits, or cubs, depending on who you ask. Four to six is the most common litter size, and she is busy eating grass and raspberry leaves to make lots of milk. I’ve been wondering if we were going to see babies. Now I am looking forward to it.
A nice surprise was the first Baltimore Oriole I’ve seen here in years, and he waited outside the window just long enough for me to click the camera.
I am looking to see if Chloe and Herbie show up together.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center