Taking down the feeders... (1 Viewer)

[laleo]

Only for a short while. Sitting in the living room next to an eight foot long picture window and I didn't notice this guy come within eight feet of the house to inspect my feeders.

My wife called from the kitchen telling me to look outside as this 5 1/2-6 foot tall bear stood up. I know there was glass between us but it's something that will make you change your shorts. I did go out and chase it away as it grabbed a suet feeder. Pictures are blurry because I was shooting through the window and I forgot to change any settings on the camera.

I'm a little upset as recently we've been getting a great variety of birds due to migration. I love that I got a chance to see this bear so close I just wish I had better pictures.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Super, would be totally chuffed with something like that at my feeders - beats birds any day

 

[Vectis Birder]

The only mammals I get on the feeders are rats. I'll swap your bear for my rats...

 

[nigelblake]

Thats a neighbour in a joke shop bear suit playing a game with you! 3

 

[laleo]

It really was amazing. I still have a huge footprint in the yard from it. I hope to see it again soon but bears can become problems in my area. I'll take my bear over rats any day too.

 

[snowyowl]

So where's the picture?:h?:

 

[KC Foggin]

Yeah, please repost as I would like to have a look as well.

 

[Bash]

Furry thief.

Beats the heck out of my little bandit.........:-O

Paul.............

 

[Katherine]

Beats the heck out of my little bandit.........:-O

Paul.............

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYSr_aozIg - :king:

 

[Peewit]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYSr_aozIg - :king:

LOL at that 3

Best thing for them to get them giddy :eek!:

Regards
Kathy

 

[Bash]

dizzy squirrels

Very funny.........:-O

Did anyone see the picture in one of the UK national papers last week of the squirrel that got in to a squirrel proof birdfeeder........he ate to much he could not get out...........3

On a more serious side he was fortunate that the owner was not away or he would have died.|=(|

Paul..............

 

[laleo]

Sorry, I had taken down the original pictures to try and fix how bad they looked. This is the best I could do after having so many blown highlights.

 

[Bash]

Taking down the feeders

Hey...........those pics don't need no fixing, very impressive neighbours you have, I feel utterly deflated by my one lonely squirrel.........heh heh.:-O

Paul..............

 

[snowyowl]

Great captures. In this case it's the the story that the pictures tell that's important.

 

[kizibu]

Your bear pictures are fabulous. But its bad news for bears. I stayed in Yosemite last year in a house where a bear had climbed up onto the first floor verandah to eat food left for Ravens. The bear then broke into the kitchen and helped himself from the larder. Sometimes I understand the park rangers trap such errant bears and take them far away. But on this occasion they shot the bear on the grounds (according to the householder) that once it had exhibited such behaviour (and lost its wariness of men or houses) it was likely to repeat it.

I'm suffering from squirrels at present eating my bird feed. In Yosemite bears rip car doors off to get at your cool box so maybe I should not feel so sorry for myself with regard to the squirrel nuisance.

 

[laleo]

I have a feeling the bears in my area won't go away. Ten minutes down the road from me is a 25,000 acre reservoir, not to mention all the wilderness that surrounds it. In 1938 4 towns were discontinued and 2,500 people were relocated to build it. I know there are deer, moose, bears, coyote, and cougar scat has been found, while the state denies any possibility of a big cat living in the area I don't.

My wife said something after the bear encounter that gave me a positive feeling. "I used to be afraid to see a bear in our yard but after seeing how gentle it was and how easily it scared away, I'm not afraid anymore". I did tell her that if she were alone and saw a bear that she should not try to scare it away by going outside, making noise through an open window should be enough.

I'm pretty sure this bear now knows there is an ugly hairless bear that lives in the "cave" near this food and claims it as his own.

 

[KC Foggin]

As we keep usurping the poor animals to build more and more, I'm afraid this is going to become a behavior more and more. Some states with big bear problems absolutely forbid bird feeding in the winter months.

 

[laleo]

Well, my bear came back but this time at night. I didn't see it come into the yard but I heard when one of my feeders came crashing down. I knew instantly what it was. I pointed the flashlight out into the yard and sure enough there he was trying to bite into the feeder. I quickly flipped the outdoor light on and ran outside making noise. He ran up into the woods again and I could hear him walking around as I gathered up the two feeders he took down. One of the poles was snapped right at the base and the other bent over to the ground. I'll now be taking the feeders in every night and putting them out in the morning. Not upset at all, a bear has to eat for winter, just wish it could have been during the day so I could get some pictures.

 

[newtonc]

I used to live out in the rockies and it was common practice for the rangers to shoot off fireworks in the bears direction when bears were to close to roads.Not to hit them off course.They wanted the bears to always be wary of human settlements and traffic areas.
Not that you need to shoot him with fireworks.
But maybe lighting up some firecrackers will be loud enough to really scare him off.Even though it sounds like he already knows your a food source.
And when we were camping the old pots and pans were always loud enough to scare them off.

 

[TerryK]

We have a big problem with nuisance bears coming right into the city. They come in my yard for the bird seed and garbage cans. My solution is my son's paintball gun. 20 rounds per second sends them running....fast! Now before I get berated by bear lovers, consider the other option: the police have shot and killed dozens of bears in the last 2 years right in the city (pop:115,000) including one last month just 2 doors down from my house. Paintball guns are designed to be shot at humans so the bear barely feels it, but the noise gets them every time.