Sharon caught a great shot of Ted’s face I had to share. I’m glad bears are long-lived.
Ted
Trail cameras provided more information on Lily and her two cubs. The last time Lily was seen at a feeding station was on October 8 at 10:29 PM. She continued visiting the den we thought she would use but stopped after October 11 at 5:14 PM. 
Blue jay sweeping snowBears typically don’t use the same dens year after year. We’ve been surprised at the re-use we saw with June, Jewel, and Lily. I suspect we’re going to have to wait for spring for more information.
Several inches of snow overnight buried the birds’ sunflower seeds. Chickadees and nuthatches couldn’t burrow down that far. Hungry blue jays came to the rescue. They swept the snow aside with fast, head-blurring sweeps with their bills, opening holes in the snow that chickadees and nuthatches visited between blue jay visits. A red squirrel paused the competition by bounding in to the blue jay hole and plowing its head through the fluffy snow to come up with a seed. One blue jay had bad manners. After another dug down to pay dirt, it got overanxious with flapping wings, flailing feet, and a raised crest. The digger held its ground.
Blue jays battling
I maybe should have added: Lynn to the rescue. When I saw the competition, I threw out handfuls of seeds that Lily Fans helped buy—scattering it over the snow for easy feeding for the rest of the day.
The pine marten had no problem with the fluffy snow. He knew where he wanted to dig and did it with no problem.
I see Lily Fans are registering for the Field Course. Thank you. Almost a quarter full already.
 Pine marten |
 Red-breasted nuthatch |
 Red squirrel |
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center