The word is that Loppy likes famous den cam females. A week and a half ago he was with Lily. Now he is with Jewel. Next year, we’ll see if we can recognize him in their cubs.
Rosy Maple Moth maleThe only bear I saw here today was little yearling Paul. His play buddy is off somewhere, and mature bears are busy with important activities. Females are covering a lot of ground laying down scent trails for males to find and follow, even venturing into neighboring territories to steal their males. Meanwhile males are frantically scent-marking in their own ways—stomp-walking; rubbing their backs, necks, and crowns on trees; and walking over shrubs and covering them with urine as they track down females. For more info, visit: https://bear.org/courtship-and-mating/
In the red pine across the yard, a pair of ravens sat touching beaks back and forth for several minutes this morning.
Outside the window, female pink and yellow Rosy Maple Moths (Dryocampa rubicunda) with their simple antennae were giving off pheromones while nearby males used their complex, comb-like antennae to search them out.
White-tailed deer buck
On another note, a mature buck rested quietly out the window growing antlers that are already large enough in diameter to imagine a spectacular rack by the time mating season begins in November. He is also shedding the last of his two-layered winter fur that include long hollow guard hairs while he grows in the reddish-brown non-hollow, short thin guard hairs that let him stay cool in summer.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center