Wow, not what one expects to find in the back garden! I don't recall you ever mentioning bears in your area before Ann. Are they potentially going to be a problem for you?
@dawnee@cruiser@grammyn Thank you Dawn, Chris and Katy- no Mama bear around. I suspect he is out on his own for the first time. He was just beyond the cub stage, but definitely not full-grown. You can tell by the legs though, he'll be a big one.
@allie912@taffy Thanks Allison and Taffy! LOL you know you're a photographer when there's ice cream in the grocery bags in the car and you find a bear in your backyard, grab your camera and photograph it for the next 10 minutes before you go back to bringing in the groceries!
@ltodd@lyndamcg Thanks Lyn! Thanks Lynda! Yes, it was surprising to pull open the blinds and see this! But then the photography gene kicked in and...
@wendyfrost Thanks Wendy! ...naturally I abandoned bringing in the groceries and grabbed my camera!
@nicolecampbell Thanks Nicole! They can be dangerous if they perceive you as a threat but for the most part they would rather run away than confront you. They are typically herbivores so they're really not interested in you for dinner. However, they may be interested in the leftovers you threw out from dinner and are known to raid garbage cans, then drag the spoils off to another spot to dine!
@gilbertwood@littleconnie@lynnz Thank you Denise, Connie and Lynn! This is not the first time I've had a bear raid my feeder and it probably won't be the last- but thankfully it is not a common occurrence. I probably won't see another bear for a couple of months- or even until next year.
@henrir@joansmor@carole_sandford
Thanks Henri! More than curious. He figured out how to get the squirrel guard off and was helping himself to seeds.
Thanks Joan and Carole! I don't see them too often, but with woods behind us and on the border of the next county which is also wooded and just beyond our neighborhood, we see them a couple times a year.
@maggiemae Thanks Maggie! Yes, I live in the Pocono Mountain region of eastern PA. Our home is on the top of one too- they're not very tall mountains, but they are mountains nonetheless. There was no mother in sight. Judging by his size, this youngster has just set out on his own, so he must have been pleased with his food-finding skills this day. I could have stayed inside and shot through the sliding glass doors, but I knew as long as I didn't rush out to get the bird feeder, he'd probably not be bothered by me so I took all the pictures from the deck! (About 20 feet between Mr. Bear and me)
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Thanks Jackie! No, he's not really a baby, but he has probably only recently left his mother's care. She was nowhere to be seen. And I was quite safe. These creatures primarily eat seeds and berries- and garbage! See the note to Nicole.
@salza Thank you Sally! Yes we've had bears here the whole time but they don't usually frequent my backyard and this is the first time I've had the ability to take a shot so closely. The last time a bear raided my birdfeeder I was still using my "little point and shoot" which didn't have a zoom which could handle a close shot like this. Funny, in reading my commentary on that shot, I almost did the exact same thing this time- but this fellow never showed any interest in me and instead of scaring him off by calling over to the neighbor (who wasn't home this time), I took all the pictures I wanted and then used an air horn to make him run into the woods. http://365project.org/olivetreeann/365/2013-11-09
Bears are generally more a nuisance than a problem. They like to raid garbage cans and drag their spoils off before they eat them, so it can get a bit messy when they start raiding more than one can on garbage day. They become a problem when they can smell food but can't get to it. I've heard of people storing bird seed on their screened porch, or garbage cans just inside the door and bears which tore the screens apart to get to what they see as a food source. So you just have to use common sense (and ammonia on your trash can to defuse the scent of the garbage).
Just in case I missed anybody above, thanks to one and all! One of the things I enjoy about 365 is the ability to show folks around the world a window to my world.
@randystreat Thanks Kathy! I'll have to keep it inside for a day or two just in case. But most of our visits are more accidents than the regular routine for them. He hasn't been back today, which pretty much means he won't be back at all.
@dawnee @cruiser @grammyn Thank you Dawn, Chris and Katy- no Mama bear around. I suspect he is out on his own for the first time. He was just beyond the cub stage, but definitely not full-grown. You can tell by the legs though, he'll be a big one.
@allie912 @taffy Thanks Allison and Taffy! LOL you know you're a photographer when there's ice cream in the grocery bags in the car and you find a bear in your backyard, grab your camera and photograph it for the next 10 minutes before you go back to bringing in the groceries!
@ltodd @lyndamcg Thanks Lyn! Thanks Lynda! Yes, it was surprising to pull open the blinds and see this! But then the photography gene kicked in and...
@wendyfrost Thanks Wendy! ...naturally I abandoned bringing in the groceries and grabbed my camera!
@nicolecampbell Thanks Nicole! They can be dangerous if they perceive you as a threat but for the most part they would rather run away than confront you. They are typically herbivores so they're really not interested in you for dinner. However, they may be interested in the leftovers you threw out from dinner and are known to raid garbage cans, then drag the spoils off to another spot to dine!
@gilbertwood @littleconnie @lynnz Thank you Denise, Connie and Lynn! This is not the first time I've had a bear raid my feeder and it probably won't be the last- but thankfully it is not a common occurrence. I probably won't see another bear for a couple of months- or even until next year.
@henrir @joansmor @carole_sandford
Thanks Henri! More than curious. He figured out how to get the squirrel guard off and was helping himself to seeds.
Thanks Joan and Carole! I don't see them too often, but with woods behind us and on the border of the next county which is also wooded and just beyond our neighborhood, we see them a couple times a year.
@maggiemae Thanks Maggie! Yes, I live in the Pocono Mountain region of eastern PA. Our home is on the top of one too- they're not very tall mountains, but they are mountains nonetheless. There was no mother in sight. Judging by his size, this youngster has just set out on his own, so he must have been pleased with his food-finding skills this day. I could have stayed inside and shot through the sliding glass doors, but I knew as long as I didn't rush out to get the bird feeder, he'd probably not be bothered by me so I took all the pictures from the deck! (About 20 feet between Mr. Bear and me)
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Thanks Jackie! No, he's not really a baby, but he has probably only recently left his mother's care. She was nowhere to be seen. And I was quite safe. These creatures primarily eat seeds and berries- and garbage! See the note to Nicole.
@salza Thank you Sally! Yes we've had bears here the whole time but they don't usually frequent my backyard and this is the first time I've had the ability to take a shot so closely. The last time a bear raided my birdfeeder I was still using my "little point and shoot" which didn't have a zoom which could handle a close shot like this. Funny, in reading my commentary on that shot, I almost did the exact same thing this time- but this fellow never showed any interest in me and instead of scaring him off by calling over to the neighbor (who wasn't home this time), I took all the pictures I wanted and then used an air horn to make him run into the woods.
http://365project.org/olivetreeann/365/2013-11-09
Bears are generally more a nuisance than a problem. They like to raid garbage cans and drag their spoils off before they eat them, so it can get a bit messy when they start raiding more than one can on garbage day. They become a problem when they can smell food but can't get to it. I've heard of people storing bird seed on their screened porch, or garbage cans just inside the door and bears which tore the screens apart to get to what they see as a food source. So you just have to use common sense (and ammonia on your trash can to defuse the scent of the garbage).
@onewing @dawnee @allie912 @taffy @cruiser @ltodd @lyndamcg @nicolecampbell @gilbertwood @littleconnie @wendyfrost @kerristephens @henrir @lynnz @maggiemae @30pics4jackiesdiamond @salza @carole_sandford @joansmor @grammyn
Just in case I missed anybody above, thanks to one and all! One of the things I enjoy about 365 is the ability to show folks around the world a window to my world.
@daisymiller Thanks Daisy!
@digitalrn Thanks Rick- yes, that's exactly what he did!