This morning was not as cold as it has been, but at 14°F below zero at 7:28 AM this first bird of the day said it was cold enough to feel it. It grabbed a sunflower seed heart, but instead of holding it firmly between its two feet to peck pieces from it, the chickadee just sat quietly letting only one foot contact the cold branch. The other was pulled up in its feathers that were fluffed to the max for insulation. It makes a person wish he could do something, but somehow the birds survive and keep coming all winter. Although, I do wonder what happened to the lone grackle that came all the time until the cold spell.
Gray FoxThe gray fox is a trooper coming repeatedly through the night and coming all the way up the steps now, letting "Eyes of the Night" snap this picture of it having a piece of boneless raw chicken near the top, but it has yet to step onto the second floor deck where more such pieces are waiting. We’ll see what happens tonight.
We haven’t seen the wolf here for eleven days, but it was in the area this evening, so maybe we’ll see if it is as brave as the gray fox on the stairs. I wish Bob Cat would let us know he’s okay. The same for the fisher and the non-limping male red fox that had been coming. The limping male red fox is still limping and getting chicken nightly from the friends who first saw him.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
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145 West Conan Street
Ely, Minnesota 55731 USA
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