Finally, after 20 days without an update because of computer problems, we’re back in the saddle again.
Fisher
Out the window the stream of visitors continues. Overnight, a fisher often checks for his meat treats too late for me to see, but "Eyes of the Night" snapped this picture when the fisher was lit by the deck light.
 White-breasted Nuthatch male |
 Chickadee |
The stream begins when it is still dark about 7 AM with a few chickadees, nuthatches, and red squirrels whose pictures have black backgrounds when they visit the breakfast bar under the deck light.
 Pine Grosbeak male |
 Hairy Woodpecker male |
The next round of visitors starts 20 to 30 minutes closer to sunrise when blue jays, hairy woodpeckers, the occasional pine grosbeak, and more squirrels take over, forcing the smaller early-birds to perch on branches as they look for moments when they can dart in, grab a tiny sunflower seed heart and hold it to a branch to peck it apart. While chickadees and nuthatches usually take one or two seeds to eat nearby, blue jays and hairy woodpeckers fill their crops (a pouch in the throat) with many seeds that they carry off to cache or eat in private areas that are often over a tenth of a mile away.
Dawns early light
Dawn’s early light gives a welcoming yellow tint to the green tops of conifers across the lake, making me stop typing to aim the camera toward the old, unused beaver lodge and the towering conifers behind it and click.
The biggest excitement today was when a pair of eagles swooped by almost touching each other and one of them grabbing leftovers from yesterday’s turkey. But the eagle that grabbed the turkey neck and liver apparently dropped the meat because its talons were empty when it landed in a white pine over on the edge of the yard, letting me take this picture (top). I spotted the liver mostly hidden in the snow but got way-laid by a phone call I had to take. When I was done, the eagle was gone, the liver was gone, and a raven was flying off empty handed. I don’t know what happened. To see if they wanted more, I put a half package of bologna on the eagle’s usual grab and go spot, looked around and saw one of the eagles perched maybe 35 feet away calmly watching what I was doing. To my surprise, the eagle immediately flew toward me, passing over me with its wide wingspan less than ten feet above my head. Exciting. When it landed maybe 60 feet away in a big white pine, I went inside to get a picture from my desk if it came for the bologna, but it eventually just flew away.
On another note, the movie project is moving forward with excitement from the BBC and movie theaters in several countries. Remembering what Ted’s five documentaries did for bears back in 2010-2013, I am excited about what this movie will do for bears as it plays in movie theaters and on TV . I have great faith in Ted’s ability to make an even bigger difference for bears with this movie than his amazing earlier efforts when he was reaching some 250 million people in 191 countries and being a major factor what viewers carried away from his documentaries and turned into a major movement toward coexistence. He is specifically making this movie to show the world how different black bears are than what the old fear-based misconceptions would make them appear. I’ve known Ted for over 18 years and know what he is thinking for the movie and the future of the Wildlife Research Institute, it’s bears, and continuing to spread the word about what we have learned about them. He is now in the process of raising the final money for his final shoot in June and for editing the movie and having it released by the end of 2026.
I am extremely grateful not only for Ted’s dedication to spreading worldwide our message for the bears but also for what so many of you are doing to make it possible.
Once again it is a case of people with hearts for bears, including Ted, doing what they can for them and me gratefully saying thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center