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Quill! Valentine, Sophie, Wendy, Lucky, Holly… - UPDATE May 24, 2017

Peggy was the first to spot him. “Quill!” she said the moment she saw the upturned nose she’s been looking for.  Quill returns Quill - photo taken October 2016We compared pictures from last year and got a perfect match. Quill is back. He survived any infection from the porcupine quills of last fall. We still remember him licking his bowl clean and leaving last fall at 12:07 AM on November 18. He weighed 63 pounds. We haven’t gotten a weight yet this year.

Holly and LuckyHolly and LuckyIt’s interesting that he showed up the time that families are breaking up. Could he have tracked down his family and spent the winter with them until the time of family break-up? We had expected to see him early, thinking he had spent the winter alone and would make his way to food much earlier than this. A mystery.

In keeping with the good news about Quill, it was a beautiful day. It began with Woods Lake mirror smooth. I thought about canoeing the shoreline like participants of Black Bear Field Courses sometimes do, but then I spotted a loon and decided to stay on the dock. QuillQuill returns!Shortly, the entire 10-acre lake was rippling as the loon went after an intruder that made the lake echo with its tremolo call. As soon as the fleeing loon could get airborne it flew away, leaving the lake.

Woods Lake sunriseWoods Lake sunriseAt the Bear Center, Holly and Lucky went wild playing on the cedar chip pile. They were on their backs—first one and then the other—as they wrestled. Bear Center visitors loved it and they did too. It almost looked like fighting but was gentle and quiet.

Tasha enjoyed her freedom yesterday. It was her first day out for several days. She had energy. She ran, grabbed carrots from the scale, and ran some more as if she had no injury. The veterinarian would have been delighted. I was delighted. I’m sure Sharon felt the same. A Lily Fan captured it all in this 1:19-minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xW3zTQi8Hc.

Loon chaseLoon chase  Loon flyingLoon flying  WoodchuckWoodchuck 

 

Today, the phone rang repeatedly with news of wild bears. Wendy, the 6-year-old daughter of Donna, great granddaughter of Shadow) has 2 cubs. Valentine is okay. She was spotted, solving last night’s question about her welfare. 5-year-old Sophie’s two yearlings (females) were alone, indicating another family break-up. Sophie is the daughter of Juliet and a granddaughter of Shadow.

Out the window, the woodchuck shared the bears’ food on the scale and posed for a picture weighing a trim 4 ½ pounds.

Thank you for all you do.

Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center


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