Bear Birds?
Last week while I was waiting around the Hometown Pharmacy for Lisa to fill a prescription for Bill I happened to overhear a conversation about some large creature that was able to tear down a bird feeder mounted eight feet above the ground. Naturally my interest was aroused and I had to hear more. Conversations about large, bird feeder destroying creatures are of immense interest to me.
The culprit turned out to be a black bear and the scene of the crime Al Taylor’s backyard on Morningstar Road. The very same Morningstar Road that leads directly to The Weyr! The bears are closing in on me, it is just a matter of time before they take up residence in the Weyr Woods.
Al’s story is pretty interesting. Something had been pulling down his bird feeders but he had not caught the critter in the act. It always happened after dark of course, when most citizens are sound asleep. He started waiting up, armed with a camera and his wait was rewarded. He captured the marauding bear in the act of climbing the feeder pole and helping itself to the seeds. Said bear also destroyed some wire cage suet feeders to get to the suet cakes.
Unfortunately, although the photos do show a bear they are not of the best quality. Al is continuing his vigil until he gets some really good shots. Hopefully, the bear will not graduate from bird feeders to window screen shredding before this happens.
Bears have been making a steady return to Appomattox County for the past 15 years or more. Every year there are more sightings around the County. One brave bear showed up at Triangle Plaza one morning. He had probably heard about Granny Bee’s biscuits and wanted some for lunch. Another bear took a stroll through the back of Appomattox Ford one afternoon when the men were sitting outside eating their lunch. He was in no apparent hurry and just wandered onto the lot, sniffed around a little, then exited back into the woods.
The bypass around town has been the death of many animals squished under the wheels of speeding vehicles. The death toll now includes a black bear along with the deer, raccoons, possums, turtles, and the occasional woodchuck. Bear “sign” has been spotted all over the County. “Sign” includes footprints, large diggy holes, scraped trees, and scat. Bear scat is similar to raccoon scat but a lot larger. Where there is bear scat bears must be fairly close by.
Bears and I have been having this elaborate dance for over 20 years. In my quest for wildlife I have searched in vain for a wild bear. I once dragged the entire family to the Great Smokies, second only to Yellowstone National Park for bears, for a week-long camping trip just to spot a wild bear. No bears were to be seen. We had lots of skunks, woodchucks, raccoons, squirrels, and deer but nary a bear to be found for miles around. I chose not to count the sad specimen kept in a cage next to the boiled peanuts and “genuine” Indian moccasins. I still suspect that “bear” was just a kid in a bear suit anyway.
When the Smokies failed to yield a bear sighting, I tried both Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. Lots of bison and elk, mule deer by the fistfuls, but not so much as a bearish footprint.
Although bear sign has been found on Blackberry Lane in the form of footprints and scat, the owner of the feet has not yet revealed himself to my eyes. Our bird feeders have not been raided except by flocks of ravenous goldfinches. Only woodchucks and bunnies steal from our vegetable garden.
One night Bill and I spotted a bear crossing Hollywood Road near Fish Pond Road. It was late and we were returning from Dulles Airport but there is no mistake that a medium size bear casually crossed Hollywood Road in front of our headlights. This is some consolation. Until I can see one up close and personal, close enough to get some good pictures, our late night sighting will have to suffice.
Leave a Reply