Ali Wagner's message is indeed very timely. Thank you Ali for explaining the conditions affecting bears this year, and why we are seeing them more often in residential areas.  As Ali correctly said, the mast season this year has been very poor for bears. I too regret that summer is not a good time to put out bird feeders, which means missing the opportunity to see species like the Rose-breasted Grosbeak up close and personal.  Ali knows what she is talking about when she says bears can climb and reach feeders that you would think would be inaccessible (witness the photographs that have been on the Internet for several years showing a bear hanging from a clothesline to get to a bird feeder). I think Ali's thinking is right on target - not too severe. By not putting out bird feeders, leaving trash cans accessible, and dog bowls sitting in yards, bears will hopefully keep more distance from residential areas, which additionally can provide more safety for the bears themselves. When thinking of the "bear problem" I can't help but wonder if bears, fisher, coyotes, etc., go home to their dens and discuss the "human problem" with their families.
Bobbie Summers
Hinesburg, VT


-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Stein <[log in to unmask]>
To: VTBIRD <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sat, May 11, 2013 2:00 pm
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] bear problem


I read this with moderate interest this morning.  But then just now, I 
spotted a bear wandering across the open fields some distance away from 
here.  (Far enough that I had to grab the binos to find out what that 
moving blob of black was.)

I've never seen one here before, nor have any of the neighbors I just 
checked with who've been here many more years than I have.  This is wide 
open country, with mostly only fragments of woodlands here and there, so 
this guy likely traveled a fair distance in search of food.  I hope he 
finds some, just not anywhere around my house.

Your post on this subject was certainly timely for me!

Jane
(Shoreham)



On 5/11/2013 6:26 AM, Alison Wagner wrote:
> Hi again, Courtney,
>
> I've given this some more thought...If you're sad about the hummers, why
> not get a few hanging plants that they will find just as rewarding?
> Fuchsias, for instance?  And plant some annuals they'd like, or plant
> bee balm?  I have bee balm all around my house for this reason.   I have
> ONE hummer feeder and if I ever find it "visited" by a bear, I'll remove
> it for the season.  It would decrease my sightings of the birds, but I
> can't bear the thought of seeing a bear being shot because I've
> attracted it to my space.
>
> The folks that owned my house before me had a bear on the deck once (and
> then they took away the food source).  I have lived here for seven years
> now.  I've seen plenty of signs of bear  (large apple-filled scat in the
> driveway) and even saw a bear catch a fawn (about thirty feet away from
> my house, mid day in July), but I've never had issues with them in the
> yard. My house is located very close to a trail used by all sorts of
> wildlife as they move from the mountains to the valleys.  I believe bear
> are close by all the time.
>
> The bears are especially desperate this spring.  They went into their
> dens without the reserves they needed due to low mast of beeches, oaks,
> etc.
> The bear you saw may have been eating ants.  So the chances of your
> problem continuing, even if you put the feeders up higher, is pretty
> great.  I've seen incredible pictures of bears climbing houses to get to
> food.
>
> My opinion may seem a bit severe, but it is really serious when bears
> get accustomed to being around people.....
>
> Good luck!
>
> Ali
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Courtney Appleyard
> Sent: Friday, May 10, 2013 9:24 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [VTBIRD] bear problem
>
> With a heavy (crushed actually) heart, I guess I have to take down my
> feeders for a while.   He's never hit them (except for the hummingbird
> feeder the 1st night)  but my bear has been here 4 times this week, most
> recently at 7:30pm when he came up and snooped around on my deck and sat
> on the ground 10 feet from my house snacking on leaves.
>
> Does anyone have any words of wisdom for breaking the cycle?
>
> I was thinking I might hang some feeders from my 2nd floor windows to
> keep my hummingbirds and bluebirds - but maybe even that is stupid?
>
> Just such a bad/crucial time to have to take them down, with so many
> nesting pairs coming in, populations being established, etc.
> Was thinking I'd take them down until June 1st and then reevaluate?
>
> :(
>
> Courtney in Manchester