McGills Nature In Motion

Soo Junction Journal September 30, 2013

Well, it’s our last official trip back to our blind along the tracks of the Toonerville for the season. It’s always bittersweet to say good bye to our bears. With bear hunting and then the upcoming winter…we never know how they will fare. We always hope to see them survive and come back in the spring to reacquaint themselves with us especially the cubs.

We head back in a moist heavy ground fog. The eagles aren’t there to greet us but a few ravens are in hopes that we have something for them. No bears, no sandhills…all is quiet when we reach our blind.

The ravens aren’t even flying around much for me to ‘shoot’. I did get a blue jay sitting in the little maple in the beautiful fall foliage.

We wait and we wait and we wait. Finally a big bear comes out of the brush from the west…just north of us. At first I thought it was Blaze…it kept looking behind it. Then I thought maybe Scar-let waiting for Cubby. But no…it was a big male bear!! It wasn’t quite as big as Bubba but getting close. It was probably over 500 lbs.

He came down and ate for a little while…looking behind him quite often. We figure he was chased across the river by the bear hunters and their dogs. So he was definitely being quite cautious. Once he ate what he wanted…mostly the glaze and frosting…he crossed the tracks…went by our speeder and disappeared into the woods to the east. That was the last bear we saw for the season.

We were glad to a doe and her fawn…who had lost its spots…come out and eat corn down the with the sandhill family with one colt. The weather started to get windier and cloudier so we decided to head out. We will return tomorrow to take the canopy off the blind till next year.

All and all it was a good year along the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley. We were so excited to find 2n year Shadow back safe and sound after her injury last fall. Bella and her triplets, the ABCs, visited us most of the summer. Scar-let and her yearling Cubby made for fun company, too. And, of course, finding Momma Blaze with quadruplets was beyond amazing!!! We wished we could have spent more time with them…but she was a good and cautious momma. Once the wolves showed up along the tracks, she kept her little ones safely tucked away.

It will be along worrisome winter until we get back to check on all of ‘our’ black bears in the spring to see how they survived. Nature is truly a wondrous thing to behold. We feel very privileged to be able to get this close to these beautiful gentle creatures and share those experiences with everyone.

Soo Junction Journal September 16, 2013

It was a cold damp morning with a heavy ground fog as we headed back to the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley.

We were greeted by four eagles!! Two mature eagles, a 4^th year and further back a juvenile. Awesome! The ravens are being very active, too.

We have sandhill cranes to the north of the blind. I get some great flight shots of the hyper ravens this morning.

Right before crew came through out at #2 stepped Momma Scar-let…with…you guessed it….yearling Cubby still tagging along. It’s nice she is letting him stay with her…but…come hibernation he needs to be on his own. She is more than likely pregnant and will give birth during hibernation. It will be interesting to see come spring if Cubby is still allowed around her and the cubs. Poor Scar-let and Cubby had survived the terrible wildfire last year. Scar-let had been injured….hence her name…and Cubby was near starvation. So I understand their strong bond.

Well, they came out walked down a little ways eating some of the treats we had scattered…then…poof…they were gone.

We had some squabbles amongst the sandhill cranes which is always fun to watch. We had some little yellow-rump warblers migrating through. A kittle of turkey vultures flew over along with some broad-winged hawks. We also had a doe pop out and see us.

The winds were blowing in a storm so we had to leave after the morning train went through. Unfortunately no sign of Momma Blaze and the quads….maybe in two weeks when we come back.

Soo Junction Journal September 8, 2013

It is a beautiful September day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a lovely 65 degrees with a mild northerly wind…perfect for the black bears.

The ravens finally hear us as we near #1 station and start flying out to greet us. A lonely bald eagle stands guard on its usual tree.

We have sandhill cranes hanging out at our blind. Of course, they fly off but circle back around to the north of us.

We get settled in to the blind…and wait. The ravens finally come down to #2 to see what we had left there. The eagle remains sitting sentinel.

After about a half an hour…out steps Momma Blaze from the west at #2. Then out run the quads!! They are getting so big!!

They are getting to the point of driving their poor momma crazy. They grab a treat then off into the woods to eat. They work their way down to us…wrestling and fighting as they go.

And Momma Blaze just keeps coming…just watches as the little ones wrestle around…but doesn’t intervene. All of a sudden one of them disappears in to the woods. Then it lets out a cry…and off Momma goes to see what’s up. Well, out it finally comes…it just got scared and was fine once it was back out on the tracks.

They finally make it down to our blind!!! The little ones pop in and out of the logging trail enjoying their treats. Momma finally walks by our speeder which we left on the track. She gives it a sniff then saunters on by to the next pile of treats. The cubs are not quite so eager to walk by the big scary machine but they eventually get by it and on to the goodies.

Momma finally grabs one last treat and walks in to the woods…slowly…one by one the cubs follow her…all except one. There is always one that likes to sit and eat and eat and eat. Finally it too gets up and follows the others in to the woods.

Wow…what an awesome day with Momma Blaze and her four roly poly cubs. If they keep growing like they are doing they will be ready for hibernation.

Soo Junction Journal September 1, 2013

It was an overcast cool morning as we headed back to our blind along the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley. No one was there to greet us…not even the ravens. Finally they showed up along with one mature eagle.

We also were serenaded by several hundred grackles that were migrating through the area. They would take turns feeding on the corn to the north of us. The blue jays were starting to flock up entertaining us with their diverse vocabulary.

Sandhill cranes started to fly in to the north of us finally. One pair had a colt with them. We were entertained with all the interaction between them and two other pairs that didn’t have young. The pairs without young seemed intent upon making the other pair miserable that had the young. Jealousy?

One sandhill even flew at them with its feet extended just like an eagle does when it is being aggressive. Being able to witness this kind of behavior is one of things I love about what we get to do. We always think of sandhills as being very nonaggressive. What’s that about not judging a book by its cover? HMMMM.

Finally around 10:00 we spotted Momma Blaze and her four roly poly cubs clear down at #1. The little buggers…we are hopeful they will find out there are not treats there and head our way. So we waited…and waited…and waited…but no Momma Blaze and cubs.

It wasn’t until the noon train was coming that Momma Blaze stepped back on the tracks…again…clear down at #1. One by one her four cubs lined up next to the tracks. At least the final noon train of the season got to see them. We hoped they would head our way but…the thunder started to rumble and rain started to fall. We decided we had better book out of there before the train came back. Sitting in a metal structure during a thunderstorm is not a wise thing to do. So we called it a day and got back to the depot before the heavens opened up and the rain came pouring down.

Soo Junction Journal August 19, 2013

We were so excited to take our eight year old great niece, Noel, and five year old great nephew, Bodie, back to our bear blind along the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley. Michael dropped us off around 8:00am. It was a cold morning…we all wore our winter coats…but the kids didn’t mind. Uncle Mike helped them up in to the blind then we waved good bye as he headed back to the cabin on the river.

We had a lot of raven and eagle activity. We had a juvenile eagle actually sit in a tree near the blind…screaming for attention.

It was finally about 9:00am when out at #2 popped Momma Blaze and her four little cubs!!! The kids were so excited to see them. It was hard to keep Bodie quiet he was so excited. The bears actually headed our way but ended up popping back into the woods to the west. Bummer.

So we waited and waited and waited. We forgot to pull the kids’ backpacks from the truck with all of their activity books. So they entertained themselves with the erase board we have to the trains how many bears we have seen. The each took turns drawing then played tic-tac-to.

Michael called at 10:30 to tell us he was heading out to get us after the morning train came through. Well, I had to hang up on him because Momma Blaze had just popped out of the brush to the north of our blind! She walked across the tracks checking it to make sure it was safe. Then she popped back in to tell her babies it was safe. One by one they each popped out of the brush and headed right down to us in single file.

The kids were so geeked. Noel was taking pictures with her camera out the front window of the blind. Bode had my other camera with a small lens shooting out of the side window with me. It was so cool to be able to see how they reacted to these amazing creatures…up close and personal in the wild.

The bears came right down to us enjoying the treats. The cubs are looking so amazingly healthy. They are little roly polys and so fun to watch. They would take a treat and head into the woods to eat it…all except one little one who just sat and ate and ate and ate.

Momma was kept busy trying to keep track of them all. Finally they all went back into the wood to the west leaving us with great memories for the kids and I to share.

The morning train came through…Noel held up the sign showing we had seen five bears. We packed up our gear to be ready for Uncle Mike to pick us up. What an awesome day for the kids…the bears and especially for me!

Soo Junction Journal August 5, 2013

We headed back to our blind around 8:00am to partly cloudy skies and temps in the 50’s. This should be good ‘bear’ weather…cooler and not so hot.

The crew comes through around 9:00am but still no bears. We do have a pair of sandhill cranes to the north of us along with a couple of does that pop in and out.

Well, about 10:00…what to my wondering eyes did appear? But one big momma with four toddling cubs heading down from the north!!!! Yeah!!

But no sooner did they start our way when another big bear stepped out of the swamp to the east…Scar-let followed by Cubby! I’m always happy to see that many bears but not right now!! URRGGHHHH! Of course, Momma Blaze stopped and looked….the cubs stood up on their hind legs to look….then in the woods they headed!!! Well, Miss Scar-let thought she would follow them…followed by Cubby. Well, time will tell if they show up down here by us or not.

Well, it wasn’t too long and out popped yearling, Cissy, just to the north of us. She trotted down the tracks heading toward her treats. She actually ate quite a bit before she took a treat and headed into the woods. She came back out and walked by us but she looked back up the tracks to the north. Well, here came another big bear walking down the tracks.

As it got closer we realized it was Momma Blaze!!! Well, Cissy decided to head off to the west through the woods. Momma Blaze came right in and ate and ate and ate. Up close we could see just how gaunt she was compared to her usual size. Poor girl…having to feed four growing cubs is sure taking a toll on her.

She must have made the cubs go up a tree while she took a much needed break. She eventually walked by us…ate a little more than headed into the woods to the west. Just before she left though, she saw Momma Scar-let and Cubby heading up the tracks toward us from the south.

This time Momma Scar-let actually waited for her yearling, Cubby, to catch up with her. Two weeks ago she was charging him and knocking him down. Go figure!!!  Cubby was still a little cautious making sure not to get in momma’s way. He would snatch a treat then hide under a tree to eat it. They finally had their fill and headed into the woods to the southeast of us.

The morning train came and went without seeing a bear. The train didn’t see anything going in but by the time they came back through, Cubby had come back down to see us. He actually came without hiss momma. He grabbed a treat and actually walked right by the blind to hide under a tree to eat it!!! He came back out then headed down the track to the south.

But out from #2 came another yearling. It looked like Cissy and she was heading down to see us again. By that time the noon train was coming back. They got a quick glimpse of Cubby before he ran into the woods. Then as the train passed #2…Cissy popped out of the woods then disappeared again.

We figured that was probably all of the action for the day....so we decided to pack it in for the day.  But as Michael was taking all of the gear down…out stepped Momma Blaze and her four cubs!!!! They were between us and #2, the closes we have been to them yet!!! So back up in the blind we went…and waited. Momma Blaze took the cubs back into the woods and eventually showed up down at #2.

In the meantime, Mr. Cubby came back out to see us. He came out from the north of us. As he walked by the speeder he decided to take a look to see what it was all about. He is so darned cute. He finally had his fill and headed into the woods to the east.

Well, we decided Momma Blaze had the kids out long enough so they were probably napping. So we decided to head out. It was a great day along the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley.

Soo Junction Journal July 22, 2013

It was another beautiful morning in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and along the tracks of the Toonerville Trolley. We had a lot of winged visitors first thing this morning. Our first black bears didn't show till after crew went through...then they went down to #1 first.

 It was the first we have actually seen Momma Scar-let and her yearling cub, Cubby, from last year. They came down to us after the big wildfire last year. They had been pretty banged up but healed and thrived along the tracks. It was so nice to see them back.

Then we got a quick glimpse of Bella but she headed down to #1 back to #2 then gone. Her yearling cub, Cissy, came to visit us twice. Then sister, Ally, came down, too. So we saw five bear and had four of them visit us. Unfortunately, Momma Blaze and her quads didn't show but it was really windy. Bears do not like the wind...it makes it so much harder to hear and smell out danger.

Momma Scar-let kept trying to run off her yearling cub, Cubby.  She did this several times to the poor little bugger but he didn't give up. He kept right on trailing momma. Usually the mommas will kick their yearling cubs out so they can mate to have cubs the next spring. Apparently Cubby didn't get that memo...or he just didn't care. The poor kid let out quite a howl after she rolled him.

Poor Cubby, he just kept coming, looking back to see if momma was still there. This is when nature gets tough to watch…although she did allow him to eat with her. We thought it might get nasty but it didn't...thank goodness.

Then we got a quick glimpse of Bella but she headed down to #1 back to #2 then gone. Her yearling cub, Cissy, came to visit us twice. Then sister, Ally, came down, too. So we saw five bear and had four of them visit us. Unfortunately, Momma Blaze and her quads didn't show but it was really windy. Bears do not like the wind...it makes it so much harder to hear and smell out danger.

Little Ally showed up from the north which was great for me...the lighting is always better for me from that direction. You can appreciate the beauty of these black bears and their glossy fur. I love when they come out from under the maple...they did it all the time last year. Little Ally was hiding and seeking with us.

 Ally gave us a look to say she knows we're there. She probably remembers last year when we had to use an air horn on her momma, Bella, when she touched the blind. The one thing you don't want is for these bears to think they can touch or climb your blind!

Then our the little beauty queen, Cissy arrived again!!! She is so darned adorable...who couldn't love that face!!! I was so happy that she, too, came down from the north where the lighting was perfect!!

Cissy got a whiff of some pieces shelled corn that had gotten spilled on the speeder. But she decided not to check it out.

Our proud little girl just pranced right by without a care in the world....ok maybe not without a care but she looks like she has adapted well to being on her own.

Cissy grabbed a treat to go...as she headed off in the woods. We were so happy to spend some time with our little ones from last year. And  it is so nice to know that they are doing so well.

Soo Junction Journal July 15, 2013

We headed back to the blind with the temperatures in the 70’s and climbing along with humidity. We were in high hopes of seeing some bears early before the heat sent them all to a cool wallow hole.

We weren’t disappointed. Yearling Cissy was waiting for us at our blind. Actually, she didn’t want to leave the so she climbed one of her favorite trees from last year and waited for us.

Michael go the speeder off the tracks and I go things settle in the blind…then out she popped to see what the speeder had brought her. She is such a pretty little girl with her brown eyebrows and brown along the sides of her nose. She is definitely going through that gangly stage of the young…but still precious.

She likes to take one treat at a time and hide in the trees to eat it. So back and forth she went till…her momma, Bella, showed up. She took one look at Bella and Bella looked at her enough to say ‘this is my little girl’ and off Cissy went down the tracks.

Bella ate very little. She checked out the speeder…looked up at us enough to say ‘I knew it was you guys’. She then walked by the blind looking at us as if to say ‘hi’. She saw the crew coming so she sat down on the tracks till they got close then popped into the trees. After they went by she was right back out, smelled the treats then wander off to the east along the lumber trail.

We did see both her and Cissy pop out at different times at #2 but then disappeared. We spotted Ally and Buddy making their way to #1 after crew went through but they never came down our way.

We also had a couple of bunny rabbits, a white-tailed doe, five sandhill cranes and a momma ruffed grouse with six or seven babies cross the tracks, too.

We thought it was a very successful day until….we spotted her. Momma Blaze stepped out north of us from the east…and one by one her four little cubs popped out to come out and eat corn. OMG!!! I was so happy and excited to see that all four little ones were doing well. But seriously if anything tried to tangle with them…Big Momma Blaze would do some major damage.

They were still out eating when the morning train came!! Blaze sat and watched the train approach with a couple of her cub. She finally stepped into the brush but not before the train saw her! Then right after the train went by she was back out and watched the train head down the tracks!!! There had to be a lot of happy people on that train!

Well, she wandered down a little closer to us but then took her four babies and headed to the west. It was getting very hot and humid so I’m sure they were going to look for a cool place to hang for the rest of the day.

We decided to wait for the noon train just in case Momma Blaze showed back up. But all we got was hotter and sweatier. The noon train did have one of the yearling pop out to greet them as they went by though. All in all it was an awesome day!!!

Soo Junction Journal July 8, 2013

We woke up to heavy skies…storms moving in…but we decided to head to the tracks of the Toonerville anyways. Those weathermen don’t always know how to predict the weather.

As we got near our blind we spotted a white-tail doe then one of the yearling cubs. It stood up and went into the woods to the west. We thought it would be down to see us shortly so we hurried up into our blind. We waited and we waited and we waited but no luck.

We did have about eight turkey vultures and many ravens busy along the tracks eating what we had brought in. I always find it interesting the creatures that will eat donuts.

I spot a fisher crossing the tracks to the north but too quick to get a photo. Our sandhill cranes come out to the north to feed, too.

We have a bunny, two red squirrels, an Eastern Wood Pewee, two white-tailed deer, another fisher, a broad-winged hawk and another pair of sandhill cranes visit us…but no black bears.

Well, we knew if the weather was wet and windy that there might not be a chance to see the bears.

I did get some great shots of the one pair of sandhill cranes as they took off down the tracks right toward us.

I have to say, it usually is mid-July before the momma bears bring their cubs out to show them off along the tracks…so next week should be golden.

Soo Junction Journal June 24, 2013

We headed back our blind in beautiful weather…60’s and sunshine. It feels like it is going to get hot and steamy though before too long. We’ll have to see if the bears are going to want to come out in it or not.

We have a beautiful bald eagle sitting in the tree at #1 waiting for us. It just sits and looks at us like ‘aren’t you going to stop?’

We arrive at our blind by 8:30am and get all settle in and wait. We have a doe come out to the north of us to feed. That’s a good sign…no wolves or coyotes in the area.

Finally after about twenty minutes one of the yearlings pops out at #2 from the west. It walks across the tracks into the woods but comes back out to eat a little something.

Crew finally comes our way and the yearling just lays on the tracks waiting for them. It comes back out to eat a little something then disappears.

Meanwhile, one of the other yearlings, Ally, comes down from the north. She grabs a donut then goes into the woods to eat while crew goes by. Then out she comes to lie down and eat her fill. She eventually walks by the blind which got our friend Marty the Moose really excited. He has his own facebook page ‘the Moose is Loose. He is visiting us from Pennsylvania…and he is about six inches high and plastic. LOL!

Anyways, Ally gets her fill and disappears into the woods. We wait and wait till the train comes through around 11:00am. Nothing else shows itself so we decide to head out before it gets so hot we can’t stand it or the bugs. On our way out the bald eagle is back at #1 waiting for us again. I was able to get some beautiful shots of it!

Soo Junction Journal June 17, 2013

We headed to the Soo Junction home of the Toonerville Trolley and ‘our’ black bears. We have our friend Marty the Moose from Pennsylvania with us for the next two weekends.  We are hoping he will get a chance to see some bears today.

It actually popped out to see crew then back in the woods. We were hoping it would make its way down to us….but no luck.

Finally just before the train was due to come by…out came a bear from #2…followed by a second bear. They were both good sized…definitely not our yearlings.

They got interrupted by the appearance of the train. They actually hung out on the tracks long enough for everyone to see them. Then they slipped into the brush. But once the train had gone by they were right back out on the tracks.

Our bear to the north came back out…to lie down and eat corn…yet again. We were feeling a little frustrated about not seeing many bears after having such a great day last Sunday.

The ‘coyote’ disappeared then reappeared just as the black wolf got down to #2!! Oh, no, we thought for sure there would be a fight….but…the coyote turned out to be another wolf!!! So we had two wolves standing in the middle of the train tracks!!!