Mimi has undergone a drastic change in coloration, she’s now a near negative image of her former self. Where she was black she is now brown and where she was once brown, her shoulders and hips, she is mostly black.

Since last month, Mimi has reversed her color scheme, and grown rather shaggy in the process.

Gus, the only male in the compound, has grown shaggy along with Mimi but you can still see traces of his “blond highlights.” Whether his characteristic highlights will be present after his molt remains to be seen.

You can still see the half dozen or so clumps of blond hairs on his shaggy, shedding coat in this shot of Gus cooling off on a sweltering hot July day.

Regardless of his coloration or condition of his coat, Gus’ overall large size and proportions are the best clues to his identity among the other bears.

Ursula looks less shaggy than she did last month, but still retains her overall brown coloration.

Ursula looks a bit neater than she did a month ago. She still holds on to her brown coloration, although it appears sun-bleached.

Yona has lost most of the punk hairdo she sported 4 weeks ago, but she’s still the smallest bear in the compound.

Although her spike hairdo is all but gone, Yona is still the wee bear in the enclosure and easy to spot, most of the time.

What about Virginia? Virginia is still pretty much the same as she was, all black coat (a bit shaggy at the moment, but all black) with a large white “V” on her chest, and a “leave me alone” attitude.

That’s about it. Hope this helps you to sort out who’s who when visiting with the bears. I’ll keep you posted if there are any further drastic changes to the bears’ appearances.

Enjoy!

While stopping by the Black Bear Exhibit, I’m frequently asked how many bears are in the Black Bear Enclosure, where they are, and who’s who among them. With that in mind, I decided to make a short identification guide to our bears.

If you would like to know which bear is which and decide to continue reading, this guide may help to sort things out for you. I wouldn’t take this guide TOO seriously, but make no mistake about it, if you do read and follow the information given here you WILL be able to tell the bears from one another, sometimes at a mere glance. Read on….

This is a guide to the identification of the Black Bears on exhibit at the Museum of Life + Science. This guide covers the bears in their summer pelage and should not be relied upon to identify the bears during the winter season when they may look quite different (we’ll deal with winter pelage at a later date).

There are five bears currently on display here at the Museum, four females and one male. Besides each bear having its own personality, each individual also has a distinctive coat with well defined field marks which make for a quick and easy identification, once you know what those field marks are. We’ll start with the oldest member of the clan, Ursula (by the way, other than them all being Black Bears, none of our bears are related).

Ursula has been at the Museum since the fall of 1991 when she was about 8 months old. She likes to keep to herself and doesn’t often interact with the other bears except perhaps to display her annoyance at being approached too closely, or when food is placed in the enclosure by the animal keepers and all of the bears are trying to get what they consider is their fair share of the goodies (please don’t toss food items in to the bears, they’re on a special diet!).

Ursula walks more slowly than the other bears (she’s a lot older) and seems to lumber along. This stiff, heavy footed gait may help distinguish her from the other bears even at a distance or in poor light.

One of Ursula’s favorite pastimes is lounging in the straw and mulch on the left side of the pool in front of the Main Bear Overlook. Take care, other bears also roll around at this sometimes shady location, but this is one of Ursula’s preferred rest stops.

Ursula often relaxes at the side of the pond in the bear enclosure.

Ursula’s coat has a brown cast to it. Her fur seems more coarse than the other bears, giving her a rather unkempt appearance. This unkempt appearance is key to her identification.

Ursala's brown fur, regardless of the time day, often appears disheveled, as if she just woke up from a long sleep, which she probably has.

Mimi arrived at the Museum in April of 2006 when she was two years old.

Mimi’s summer coat is two-toned black and brown. The most distinctive marks are two light colored areas on her shoulders and hips. No other bear in the enclosure has these marks!

Mimi's distinctive brown markings on both her shoulders and hips are a dead giveaway to her identification in the field.

Mimi is sometimes seen in the company of Gus, the only male bear in the enclosure.

Mimi (right) plays with Gus in the pool at the Main Black Bear Overlook. Note the two white markings on her chest.

The arrows point to the two white markings on Mimi's chest.

As noted in the photos above and at right, Mimi has two thin, white blazes on her chest. However, these marks are not reliable as they are often difficult to see.

The white marks on Mimi's chest (left) are barely visible in this photo. The brown markings on her shoulder and hip are easily seen from nearly every angle. Gus is on the right. The arrow on Gus points to one of his field marks discussed below.

Born in 2005, Virginia arrived at the Museum when only a few months old.

She, like Ursula, seems to prefer her privacy, often retreating to the cliffs above the bear enclosure. When not down on the ground in the enclosure she can sometimes be seen up on the cliff just to the right of the waterfall.

Virginia has a smooth, silky black coat. No other bear in the enclosure has such uniformly black fur.

Virginia has a nearly all black coat. No other bear at the Museum is so pelaged.

Like Mimi, Virginia has a white blaze. Virginia’s blaze, however, is in the form of a heavy white “V” on her chest.

Virginia's white "V" is clearly visible in this view.

Although her white blaze is apparent when she sits up, it's often hidden from view. The uniformly black coat is much more reliable in distinguishing Virginia from the other bears, especially in her summer coat.

Arriving at the Museum in July of 2006, Gus was just about 5 months old at the time. He is the only male of the five bears on display and is now the largest of the bears in the exhibit, but this size difference is not great and not always apparent, especially when seen alone. His head, feet and legs are proportionately larger than the other bears and at times, this is quite notiecable, even when he is by himself.

Gus is a wanderer and can be found at many locations throughout the enclosure, the hammock, the cliff, under a tree, asleep next to the pool (Ursula’s spot), or just about anywhere else in the enclosure by himself or in the company of the other bears (except Ursula).

The most obvious field marks on Gus are his “blond highlights.” Gus sports a group of light-colored hairs on his back.

Gus showing his "blond highlights" as he strolls along the edge of the pool.

There are more blond hairs on Gus’s right side than his left (see photo of Mimi and Gus next to rock wall above and Virginia and Gus below).

Gus seems to be the more social of the bears here at the Museum and can often be seen interacting with others.

Gus (right) engaging in some friendly interaction with Virginia.

Gus’ social character is such that he would even play (interact in a friendly manner) with Ursula, if the older bear would permit it.

The newest member of the bear clan is Yona (Yona is Cherokee for bear). She was just under a year old when she arrived at the Museum this past January. Yona is easily distinguishable by size, she’s currently the smallest bear in the enclosure. She has a rather spiky hairdo at present but this could change later in the season.

Yona's spiky fur may fade as the season progresses, but her size should separate her from the other bears in the enclosure.

Her size alone should be a reliable field mark in identifying Yona throughout this year.

Gus often interacts (plays) with Yona. The other bears are more likely to be seen encouraging Yona to keep her distance.

Sociable Gus (foreground) is often seen with Yona. Whether playing or searching for food these two bears get along quite well. Note the size difference (photo taken March 2010).

If you don’t see Yona wandering around on the ground, look up!

Yona in a Mulberry tree at the left rear corner of the Black Bear Enclosure.

Young Yona also likes to swim. While the other bears do occasionally take a dip in the pool (except Gus, unless food floating on the water forces him in), Yona seems to relish the pastime.

Yona goes for a swim.

And there you have it. With the information given above you should be able to tell one bear from the other in most situations. However, don’t be discouraged if the next time you’re at the Museum you can’t tell which bear that is lying in the shade under the tree way back at the rear of the bear enclosure. You won’t be able to identify every bear all of the time, it takes practice. But now, you have been given the tools to help you on your way to becoming an expert.

Good luck, and have fun!

Dame's Rocket can be seen along the path in Catch the Wind.

This thorny, blackberry producing shrub can be seen throughout the Museum grounds.

Blackberry's five petaled blossoms are attractive to both humans and insects.

Butterflies find the early blooming blackberries rather tempting.

A Silver-spotted Skipper sips nectar from a blackberry blossom next to the Wetlands in Explore the Wild (note the Lady Beetle on the left).

Closely tied to the willows in the Wetlands this Viceroy pauses for refreshment. This butterfly looks a bit worn and tattered. It's missing the tips of its forewings. Perhaps it had an encounter with a bird?

More species of dragonflies and damselflies have been emerging recently. A first-of-the-season Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) was seen on 29 April as was a new species for the Museum, a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps). I had thought that I spied one of these Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura) relatives last year, but couldn’t be certain. The sighting on the 29th confirmed it.

A male Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum) rests on an alder leaf next to the Wetlands in Explore the Wild.

On April 23, I witnessed the mating of two of the Common Snapping Turtles in the Wetlands. The turtles were tumbling around in the water just off the Wetlands Overlook in Explore the Wild.

Two Common Snapping Turtles shuffling for position as they attempt to mate in the water just beyond the Wetlands Overloook.

As was the case last year when I saw the pair (or a similar looking pair) perform their mating ritual, one of them was later seen basking on the tallest rock in the Wetlands.

Does this snapping turtle look exhausted, or saited?

Birds continue to return from their winter quarters.

This Green Heron shares a boulder with two young Yellow-bellied Sliders. This is the first Green Heron of the season for this observer (4/27).

Sightings of Great Blue Heron have been spotty for the past month, perhaps due to the birds' off-site nesting activities.

A Gray Catbird pauses in its singing for a look around.

A Great-crested Flycatcher was sen on April 29 and an Eastern Kingbird on 30 April. Common Yellowthroats are singing both in the Wetlands and up in Catch the Wind.

And finally, over the past few weeks there have been at least three separate sightings of Gray Fox in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. This increased activity leads me to believe that the Museum’s fox population has recently increased (kits).

Elm buds have been showing for a few weeks, this one was close enough to the ground to photograph.

Red Maple is in full bloom.

Wax Myrtle is showing buds.

A Gray Squirrel partakes in a tasty snack of buds or flowers, or both.

A Carolina Chickadee inspects a natural cavity in a sycamore. This tree is within 12 feet or so of the boardwalk. If the bird decides to use this for nesting it may make for good photographic opportunities.

A Red-winged Blackbird checks out the Wetlands. This bird was in the company of three others and was just passing through. There is, however, alone male who sings daily in the Wetlands.

Apparently always excavating holes in trees at this time of year, a Brown-headed Nuthatch continues its work.

I noticed this bird circling above Catch the Wind (2/5) performing a "courtship" flight. I later found the bird (Cooper's Hawk) in a pine calling loudly kak, kak, kak, kak...it's time to think about nesting.

A winter resident at the Museum, this Ruby-crowned Kinglet searches for food among the branches of a willow in the Wetlands. Kinglets often start singing before leaving us for points north, I haven't heard their song yet.

Get outdoors and have a look around for yourself, and let me know what you see!

Sure, it was colder than usual the first two months of this year. And, it seems as though it has snowed more this year than within memory. It’s predicted to snow today!

A recent snow in the Wetlands.

But, there’s much evidence pointing to a new season springing forth. The days are getting longer. Both the maples and elms are ready to burst open their buds and Hazel Alder is nearly in full flower.

Elm buds, swollen and ready to bring forth flowers.

The sun is coming up earlier and setting later. Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers are calling and Pickerel Frogs have been seen slowly moving about the landscape. More and more turtles are coming out to bask in the afternoon sun, both Yellow-bellied Sliders and Painted Turtles.

Two Yellow-bellied and one Painted Turtle come out to bask in the afternoon sun.

I saw a solitary wasp in a sunny spot of the trail in Catch the Wind and a paper wasp flew by me in the Wetlands.

On my drive in to the Museum recently I saw two different Red-tailed Hawks carrying nesting material. The two Brown-headed Nuthatches that were digging a hole in a Loblolly Pine in Catch the Wind at the beginning of this month are at it again, this time on the opposite side of the same tree.

A Brown-headed Nuthatch digs yet another hole in a pine branch. Apparently the first hole didn't meet the standards of its prospective mate.

Listen for the nuthatch’s squeaky-toy calls in the pines as you walk around throughout the outdoor areas of the Museum.

Northern Cardinals have been singing for the past month and, according to Exhibits Tech David, one was seen carrying nesting material last week. I heard the first singing Red-winged Blackbird of the season on the 19th of February. Tufted Titmice are singing their clear-whistled, repetitive notes. Pine Warblers are in song. And, I heard a Song Sparrow briefly trying out its repertoire of rolling trills.

A small band of some two dozen Cedar Waxwings attempted to storm the small hollies next to the Ornithopter for their berries. The Leonardo da Vinci inspired ride in Catch the Wind was too much for the little waxwings; its huge white wings flapping back and forth next to the hollies kept the birds at bay.

A Cedar Waxwing patiently waits for the Ornithopter's wings to stop before alighting on the holly bushes below. Note the red markings on the bird's wing, like tiny drops of red wax.

These waxwings arrived four days earlier than last year’s nomadic troop of over 400 that descended on the hollies growing next to the main Museum Building.

Purple Martins have been observed within our borders. These birds are early arrivals, for sure, but the rest of their species is definitely on its way north.

From this point on things will move quickly. New arrivals from the south will appear, fresh new leaves will begin to emerge, snakes, insects…I can’t wait!

Gray Fox track (front foot) in mud.

Gray Fox are seen here at the Museum throughout the year. I sometimes see their tracks in the mud on service roads and there is a den in the woods near the Dinosaur Trail.

Gray Fox den, somewhere in the woods at the Museum.

The frequency of sightings usually picks up in mid-winter. Over the past few weeks there have been numerous sightings by myself, Museum Staff, and Museum Guests….

It was near closing time on Saturday (2/13) as I stood at the entrance to the Dinosaur Trail looking in the direction of Catch the Wind. A Gray Fox bounded across the trail several hundred feet down the trail where the service road enters the paved path. A few seconds later it bounded across the trail in the other direction. Some thirty seconds later the fox came running up the middle of the path from Grayson’s Cafe and directly in front me as I watched in amazement (and wished that my camera wasn’t still in its case).

The fox continued down the trail until in got to the point where I had originally seen it bounding back and forth across the path. It suddenly stopped, stood for a second, and then leaped into the woods. I knew that Museum guests were still walking back in from Catch the Wind, so I reasoned that the fox had seen someone coming up the path and had jumped into the woods, and indeed, that was the case. I asked the person who was walking up the trail if she had seen the fox and she excitedly exclaimed that yes, she had seen it, as well as another at the Bird Feeder Exhibit (Flying Birds) and, that it (seeing the fox) was the highlight of her day.

The activity became a frenzy on February 17th when a fox was heard calling from the woods near the Red Wolf Enclosure. I later watched as a fox ran back and forth in the woods behind the Cafe calling out as it went along. As I watched this yelping fox search the woods for whatever it was looking for, another called from behind me.

Throughout the day, and throughout the Outdoor Exhibits, Gray Fox were seen by whoever ventured out into the wild. Two fox were seen chasing each other about in Catch the Wind. Two were heard calling at the same time behind the Cafe. One fox was seen leaving the property through an open gate. A fox was seen running down the hill under the boardwalk. A fox was seen at the Bird Feeders. Heard enough?

The next day, I saw one Gray Fox. The following day, no sightings.

What caused this “Fox Frenzy” on the 17th of February? Well, it IS the breeding season for fox. Gray Fox are certainly more active during the daylight hours at this time of year. However, the calling, running, chasing, and timing of sightings on that particular day leads me to believe that there was a third fox on the scene. I can’t say for certain, but perhaps an interloper, another male fox, entered the area seeking a mate. It’s only speculation of course, since I can not distinguish the male from the female and I have not yet become familiar enough with the fox that live here at the Museum to separate one individual from another, male or female, but it seems as if the hyperactivity of the day was caused by a third individual. Any ideas from you, the reader, are welcomed.

To hear what a fox sounds like click on this link. But first, once at the linked site you’ll have many choices of both Gray and Red Fox sounds to sample (our fox are Gray Fox – Urocyon cinereoargenteus). The sounds that are representative of what I heard on February 17 are call.wav and fox territory call.wav.

Oh yes, if you happen to see a fox trotting by, sitting in the woods, or under the bird feeders, look, but don’t approach it. While they are very “cute” and may sometimes appear to be rather “tame,” it’s important to remember that they are wild animals and should be respected as such.

Enjoy!

I did, however, manage to get a few photos of some interesting happenings out on the Outdoor Exhibits trails…

Parasaurolophus with a new snow cap

The Wetlands covered with ice and snow.

The snow that covered the ice of the Wetlands is a great place to look for animal tracks. Here, a Raccoon walked across the ice and back.

These tracks are a mix of Raccoon (bottom left) and River Otter. The otter, or otters, made several passes.

A close view of the otter tracks, note the five toes.

Finding tracks in the snow is fun, but it’s fleeting. The snow that these tracks were left in are now mush, washed away by the rain.

There were many tracks in the snow on Tuesday morning (Feb 2), tracks of birds, feral cats, Gray Fox, as well as the animals depicted here in the photos. Just a few short hours later, they were all gone, vanished, as if the creatures that made them had never been there.

It’s often tracks left in the snow that alerts you to the animals in the area, their passings never being discovered if not for the snow.

The swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild.

The Groundhog which made an appearance on January 13th also came out of hiding on Groundhog Day.

Living near the edge of the swamp above, our early rising Groundhog apparently made an appearance on Groundhog Day as well (Its tracks are visible near the center/right of the photo.)

A close view of the Groundhog's tracks at the entrance of its burrow.

Enjoy the snow while it lasts!

Further proof of a definite warm-up was evidenced by a Groundhog seen browsing in the grass next to the Ornithopter in Catch the Wind. This mid-January date is nearly two weeks before Groundhog Day! Unfortunately, I don’t have an image of the early riser to show you (I took a picture, but accidently deleted it from my camera).

Painter Turtle taking advantage of the relative warmth of the mid January sunshine.

The same day, a Painted Turtle apparently thought it warm enough to crawl out onto a log to bask in the sun!

As if the appearance of the groundhog and turtle were not evidence enough of the warm-up, sap was pouring out of a maple tree in Catch the Wind. The holes, drilled by a woodpecker, were also attracting insects, and other birds to the sweet tasting sap.

Sap flows from Yellow-bellied Sapsucker "wells" (arrows) drilled into a maple in Catch the Wind.

Today, it’s supposed to be even warmer, so I’m signing off and heading outside!

Enjoy the day.

Gray Squirrels cache food away for later use for the times when their fair-weather food items become scarce. During the warmer months they eat roots, bulbs, fruit, seeds, fungi, bird’s eggs, and yes, bird nestlings. The bulk of their cached food, however, consists of acorns, beechnuts, walnuts, and other assorted nuts.

A Gray Squirrel pauses to check out the photographer (me) before continuing its mission, caching food for the winter.

Gray Squirrels build nests in a natural tree cavity, or more conspicuously, in the crotch of a tree. The nest is made of twigs and small branches and is lined with leaves, moss and any other soft material that the squirrel can find lying about. They may or may not use this rather untidy-looking structure as a nest for their young. Often, it’s simply a place to while away the coldest days of the winter in relative comfort.

This shabby looking assemblage of twigs, leaves, and who knows what else, will probably be the winter quarters of a Gray Squirrel, perhaps the one above.

Groundhogs, the more terrestrial of the two squirrels (Groundhogs can and do climb trees, especially mulberry trees with big, ripe berries on them), does not cache away food, but instead carries its winter food around on its body in the form of fat. You can often see them in fall hurriedly scarfing down grass, clover, or fruit (I once saw one in Catch the Wind, up on its haunches leasurely eating what looked to be a Granny Smith Apple – feeding the wildlife is not encouraged), paying little if any attention to the many Museum Guests strolling by.

Fattening up for the winter snooze is what Groundhogs do in the fall. This one seems to be progressing well.

The other, rather significant, differences between these two rodents is that Groundhogs burrow into the ground and hibernate within the burrows.

The entrance to a Grounhog's burrow. This one is located between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild on the back side of the trail.

The Groundhog will spend several months deep within this burrow, emerging only when struck by the urge to breed.

By the way, Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are also called Woodchucks. Both names are correct as long as you’re referring to Marmota monax. The common name Woodchuck is apparently a corruption of the Cree Indian word for marmots, Wuchak, and has nothing to do with the animal’s ability to chuck wood.

Groundhogs have also been called Whisltepigs. I, personally, have never heard anyone refer to a Groundhog as a Whistlepig, nor have I ever heard a Groundhog whistle. Fortunately, someone at National Geographic has recorded one of these large rodent’s voice and has placed that recording on the Internet for all to hear.

None of the above names actually fit the animal, although some come close. Marmota monax does spend most of its time on or under the ground. But do they really look like hogs, or pigs? They definitely don’t chuck wood, but the Wuchak name seems to fit since it was the name given them by the people who first lived among them, Native Americans, although the name wasn’t specific to Marmota monax, but to all marmots.

If you’ve listened to the audio link above, then you may agree that it does seem as though Marmota monax whistles, sort of. Perhaps Ground Whistler would be a more appropriate name, or Whistling Marmot, maybe…

Fox tracks have been seen at several areas on the loop and a lucky Museum Guest reported to me that she saw 3 Foxes crossing the path along the main entrance to Catch the Wind on the 27th of August.

It’s exciting to see a Gray Fox; however, it’s important to remember that even though they are within the boundaries of the Museum’s property, they are wild animals and should not be approached. Enjoy your good fortune at seeing one of these beautiful animals, but leave it be