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he bear is back. Earlier this year a bear (maybe two) was spotted a lot in and near Oriental. He(?) likes birdseed. A Lot.

Apparently that culinary preference hasn’t changed. Jim Root writes in from Merritt:

He got three (or so) seed feeders last week, chugged a hummingbird nectar feeder like a college freshman, and left more than one swear jar at maximum capacity. He did leave the red pepper suet feeders that some are using unharmed which may have been a bright spot. He stayed off my porch, and I am thankful for that.

So why were people still using their seed feeders? Most thought that the bears had started hibernating, which seems not to be the case. And at some level I think people feel they’ll be damned if they’ll let a bear keep them from enjoying their finches, brown nuthatches and alike that demand the bird shot sized meal. Some have fashioned contraptions born of a sense of will and determination that would have made Edison proud.

That being said, I should also note that the Bear is at this point in the contest, way ahead on points. In fact his skill at emptying nectar feeders quietly should net him a job at a med tech company if he ever gets off his haunches and stops living with his mother.

Yesterday I sat on the porch steps with my dog Lilly and watched the bumblebees work on the feisty remnants of black and blue salvia in our flower garden. The low mummer of their work is one of the defining sounds of a season headed to slumber. Lilly gets annoyed at this, and snaps at any bee that comes near her head. Despite my admonitions, she keeps going after them, first with a vigorous head swivel, and then a chomp that ends with a sound like an apple dropped into a plastic pail. After three or four of these amazing displays of agility, the bee usually cuts out, likely because it is the smarter of the two combatants.

… and you know, every time I see this I keep thinking that something bad’s gonna happen.. and yet it seems that it never does.

Same with the Bear.

Update: Monday December 14, 2015

There was another visit from the bear over the weekend and in this instance the ursine visitor left behind what appear to be pawprints. Unlike tracks seen on the ground, these were, more disturbingly, at eye level of a home in Merritt. Jim Root provided photos and this epilogue.

The paw print on the window is a little over 5 feet off the ground.

Here is the working theory about what happened this time:

Initially the bear got into the red nectar feeder, spilling most of its contents onto the deck and steps (the photo shows it reset and intact). The bear lapped up what he could, but got a fair amount on his paws.

Then the bear went over to look at the porch light. We think the bear mistook it for a nectar feeder. The bear stood on its hind legs, and balanced itself with its left paw on the siding and its right front paw on the window while it gave the light a sniff.

Note that the nectar-sodden print slides a little to the right as the bear puts a little weight on it. The glass in the Anderson Windows is double paned glass.

Previous Bear Reports:

June 30 2015 – Bear On Porch in Merritt

June 18 2015 – Update: Bear On Deck Returns

June 3 2015 – Black Bear On Ragan Road

On May 8 2015 this was the TownDock home page report:

We have multiple sightings last night – Ken “Turtle” Midyette reports the bear visited his back yard (Midyette St, Camp Creek) and took down a bird feeder. Bear estimated about 300 lbs. The bear enjoyed some bird feed before Turtle scared him off. Apparently hissing like a cat works. Well, at least once.

This morning, Bill Wheeler reports seeing the bear from his home on Pine View Drive:

(photo and fancy illustration by Bill Wheeler)

Just after 9a David White spotted the bear:
“Saw a black bear cross 55 and head behind the Village Health Club. Bear was about the size of a full grown Saint Bernard Dog.”

Posted Sunday December 13, 2015 by Keith N. Smith