It was nice to see Spanky looking good with his light muzzle that had me fooled thinking he was Lily when I first saw him in the porch den a couple years back.
Woodchuck
Today the shy woodchuck held still for an ID shot. I believe this one is the female of the two adults here because she is a little smaller than the one who sat for an ID shot a few days back. I think the one today is who we will see tending her babies in the driveway this summer.
 Pine Warbler male |
 Pine Warbler male |
As I was typing, there was a little splash of yellow out the window that made me grab the camera for a quick click before he was gone. This hungry little pine warbler, one of only two warblers that regularly eat seeds, uses his relatively large bill (for a warbler) to grab tiny bits of sunflower seeds. The other warbler that eats seeds is the yellow-rumped warbler that is also here this early. These are the two earliest migrant warblers I see each spring, arriving before many bugs are out and about. A mystery to me is how the Eastern Phoebe that I don’t believe eats seeds can arrive even earlier and survive. So, as everyone knows, I have more to learn.
At the Bear Center they are off and running with the fencing installation, but the construction people have to take two days off for training. Tomorrow, during the pause, Scott and I are going to get together to discuss the plans.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center