Lucky looked content with Holly in her den a few days ago, but then he showed he wasn’t quite ready to settle down. He tried Den 2, he foraged on clover, he revisited Holly, but overall he left us confused about what he wants to do. His genes are from Wisconsin where bears den later than northeastern Minnesota bears usually do. Holly is from Arkansas but probably has northeastern Minnesota genes or even Manitoba genes from transfers done back in the 1960’s. She seems more ready to settle. Will Lucky rejoin her? Is there truly room for two in Den 1? We’ll see what he decides.
Sharon Herrell posted Bear News about Lucky with more good pictures. https://bear.org/bear-news-october-14-2023/ Thank you, Sharon.
Dark-eyed junco femaleOut the window, the few continuing bear visits are in the dark of night—the mom with two small cubs and a couple others. At another diversionary feeding location, two mothers with cubs are still coming at night.
The red fox that visits here also visits a diversionary feeding site a half mile away where he (we’re told he is a male) should be relatively safe traveling back and forth.
A female dark-eyed junco of the slate-colored variety that lives mostly far north of here sat outside my window long enough and close enough that I had to click the camera and wish her a good flight south.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center