The Bear

I remember back in late September when I had my last encounter with a Black Bear that I thought, this is a one time event.

I took this photo at the time.

Naturally I was wrong. These creatures have a great sense of smell and apparently enough smarts to remember the food sources in their neighborhood.  Was this the same bear? What is its gender? Should I check?

I never realized how agile these creatures are. The bear climbed on the deck railing and walked over to the feeder. It was like watching an olympian on the balance beam. (He) sat down and spent some time using his tongue to empty the supply of sunflower seeds. I hollered “Shoo” a couple of times but was ignored.

I’ve lost several bird feeders to bears. I find the remains in the woods, just a pile of mangled metal and plastic. However this bear used surgical precision to empty my feeder.

The Birds

I risk the bear forays to see the birds. It was such a treat to see the bluebirds return after flying the nest. Are these the fledglings? Who knows.

The Bees

The Bumblebees work themselves to death. It is not unusual to see a few dead ones in October. I provided plenty of flowers for them. They were enjoying the Marigolds this afternoon. Such a gentle insect. I know they can sting but it has never happened to me.