Bear-y Cool!

We have a pet Bear! OK, not really, it's just a guest at our sunflower seed restaurant, I mean, bird feeders.

Last night, I wandered into the bathroom, leaving the lights off, and glanced out the window. I saw a very black shadow under the bird feeders. And then the black shadow moved. I realized that that shadow wasn't from a tree, it was the wrong darkness in a night with a bright moon. Then the shadow changed shape, and appeared to be a standing figure reaching up toward the feeders. And that's when I realized that a bear had come to visit.

I got E out of bed and we decided to turn on the spot light, to get a better look. And we did! The young black bear didn't even bat an eyelash. It sat there, eating the seeds, having a wonderful meal. It pulled the feeders over to where it was sitting, bending the 1/2 inch thick iron pole without any problem. It sat and ate, until it had cleaned the feeders out. And then, it got up, and sauntered off into the woods.

And, here's the picture E took of the bear!

Sorry, we'll try for a better one next time. :)

Earthy Crunchy Moments

In no particular order:

• E and I went for a light hike in the Squannacook River Wildlife Management area. We saw a garter snake that decided it didn't like E standing between it and the area it could blend into, and it struck (unsuccessfully) at him. We were both fascinated by the snake, and sad that it disappeared so quickly once we moved out of its way.
• The hornets are eating all of the hummingbird food that I put out. Every once in a while, a female hummingbird tries to come have some, but is pestered by the hornets and leaves after some chittering. Even putting out fresh food in a different feeder hasn't worked. It's the end of the summer, ladies and gentleman! Isn't that what the increase in hornets pestering means to you?
• I saw a doe and faun walk through the back yard while sitting on the deck. The faun was still very spotted, and looked healthy.
• The trees that turn colors early have already started. The maple out front is green and red and orange. In a nearby swamp, all of the swamp maples are fully red. Sign 2 that the summer's over!
• We have a black bear in the neighborhood. Our neighbor, D, saw signs of it a week ago. And we had it visiting our bird feeders one night! I'll blog about that soon...