We can’t thank Sarah Rose and her husband Dan enough for putting on another very special Hinckley Gathering of Lily Fans. Such warmth and enthusiasm from everyone there.
Fern and her family It was uplifting to me and to all the smiling, laughing people brought together there by the bears and their love of nature. After the great lunch, I won the bean bag toss with eight straight bulls-eyes, and I don’t think they were letting me win.
EliDonna and I took our time driving back to Ely on back roads looking for nature. As the sun went down, white pelicans and turkey vultures circled against the blue sky as they settled down into their roosting sites.
The day had begun with looks at nature. Beavers made us get a late start by working on their dam just 28 yards from the WRI Cabin. I had to snap a picture. Then we saw another beaver a few miles down the road and had to stop again. Donna drove fast and got us to the Gathering before the noon start.
Herring gull SpecklesI wasn’t sure what to think of one of the things at the Gathering, though. Sue Mansfield sent a video announcing her retirement at the end of this month. I presented it and said glowing words about all she’s done. I was happy that her video said she’d still be around. I very much hope that means she will help bring to fruition all that she and I have worked so hard to achieve for more than a decade. She did a lot! But gathering data is the fun part. It satisfies our curiosity of how bears live and what they’re really like. Every day is exciting as the bears show us new things and answer old questions. But the important thing is putting that information out in ways that will benefit the public and bears. I wish Sue the very best, of course, while I hold onto my faith that she will be there to help bring what we did to fruition.
Herring gulls mating displayThe sadness is that the bears and we have lost a great supporter and volunteer. Betty Beauchamp passed away unexpectedly on April 16, 2017 in Hyattsville MD. She had become a Lily Fan while watching Jewel give birth to Fern and Herbie and raise them. She quickly became a volunteer. You all know her from the BFF articles she created. Those very well written articles are used regularly on all our social media sites. She also became a Bear Educator Volunteer and Pond Chat moderator. Her contributions to bears will live on. She showed her love for bears by having in her instructions that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the North American Bear Center (www.bear.org or 1926 Highway 169 Ely, MN 55731).
On a happier note, life was in the air out the window today. The herring gull couple Speckles and Clear Eyes are still together. Clear Eyes made that clear when I threw a piece of bologna out the door. Speckles flew to it first and had it in his mouth when Clear Eyes landed and took it from him. Speckles made no objection. Clear Eyes must have appreciated that because she then went into vigorous mating displays with a lot of head pumping and putting her bill straight up in the air. Speckles joined in as the picture shows them with both their bills pointing up at the same time. A few minutes later, I was concentrating too hard on the computer and missed getting a picture of him finally mounting her. They stood together for several minutes after that. Then he flew down to the railing, sat down, and watched me type. They stayed together here at the WRI much later than usual, just relaxing together. At 8:24 PM, nearly dark, she flew away (presumably to their usual nightly roosting spot), and he immediately followed. Six minutes later, 4-year-old Eli (who had been the mystery bear) occupied the spot on the railing that Speckles had just vacated.
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| Turkey vulture | Beaver | Pelican |
Coincidentally, with the mention of Fern above, Fern showed up at her favorite feeding site with her three yearlings Clover (female), Clyde, and Cletus (photo). That feeding site gets bears that we don’t get here, and they always call us to bring Black Bear Field Course participants over when favorite bears show up. Fern and Jewel are two that visit there. The landowners were excited to see her and snapped a picture for this update.
Betty Beauchamp is one of the many reasons I always end these updates with: Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Biologist and North American Bear Center