Aster With Juliet’s GPS batteries low, Sue intercepted her just as Juliet and her 3 male cubs were about to cross Highway 169. The family quickly retreated into the woods where Sue changed her batteries.
Juliet's aborted crossingNot to be deterred from her original agenda, Juliet started to cross the highway again before Sue was out of sight. She looked both ways, saw a huge noisy truck coming, retreated, and then tried again. With no cars in sight, she led the cubs across the highway and was on her way north into Vermilion State Park. Great shots of the crossing—always dangerous as evidenced by the number of cubs killed on this highway.
Juliet and cubs start to crossLily is busy in an area of many clear-cuts near Faith’s territory and 3 miles from the nearest human residence. Ant pupae are abundant now in clear-cuts where the sun warms the logs and rocks that shelter ant colonies. We are seeing over and over that bears prefer ant pupae over the food readily available at a dozen community feeding stations—despite the work it takes to obtain the pupae. In years of scarce berries, an abundance of ant pupae can keep bear complaints low.
A safe crossingAster’s territory, mostly in Bear Head Lake State Park, has no clear-cuts—thus, fewer ant pupae. Ant pupae may be a reason she recently invaded Lily’s territory with its clear-cuts. In Aster’s territory, berries are the next big food course. Today, as she waits for berries to ripen, she visited a community feeding station she visited as a cub with June and that we can visit with Bear Course participants. 
Holly in cedar - June 25We visited her to check on her wound from last fall and her cloudy right eye, both pictured. The wound is oozing again, and the eye is unchanged.
At the Bear Center, Holly continues to be a delight. She is ever more confident in the viewing area knowing she can climb the tree there as needed.
Male Pileated groomingAt WRI today, while Sue was out with Juliet and Lynn was meeting with National Geographic and the Chamber of Commerce, our volunteer assistant bookkeeper watched the male pileated woodpecker preen outside the window. At one point, he stretched out a wing showing what we believe is an individually distinct pattern of white markedly different from the patterns shown in bird books. He joined the female foraging on a log, probably getting ants—a major food for their young. When he flew to the nest, 3 gaping beaks greeted him—definitely 3.
Pileated male with 2 youngA later picture of two of the fast-growing young showed the developing crests on what we believe are a male (top) and female. They had different shaped white eye-lines that further identify them individually. The male disappeared into the nest to clean up after the young. 
Pileated leaving nest with fecesHe emerged carrying dark feces like would be expected from eating ants. As he raised his wings in flight, he showed off the white patches on both the upper and lower sides of his wings. Exciting moments.
Medical emergencies have caused a couple cancellations in this summer's Black Bear Field Study courses. To learn more about the bear courses and register for this life-changing experience go to http://www.bearstudy.org/website/field-study-courses.html.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.