a BEAR in our back meadow!
Around noon today as I was headed outside to do some yardwork, I looked out the master bedroom french doors and saw this...
At first I thought it was a large dog, but immediately realized it was way too big for a dog.
It was a black bear and he was having lunch in the meadow!
I've heard tell of a bear in our area, but have never laid eyes on him until today. Dan saw him once, about a year ago, as the bear ran across the road in front of Dan's car as he was driving up the hill from our village.
And then, he must have gotten wind of me as he stood up and looked around! It was one of the most majestic things I have ever seen.
Ella and I viewed him from the safety of the upstairs porch (Dan was away on a trip.)
As he turned around to leave, Ella barked at him (it was a rather quiet bark as I think she really wanted to play with him;) and he turned to look at her.
I did go out in the yard to do my yardwork, but my head was on a swivel looking out for Mr. Bear in case he wanted a meet and greet;)
Tonight this is what was in the meadow instead.... a porcupine! This is much more the norm.
Hope the Easter bunny (and not a BEAR;) finds his way to you!
Post Script:
After reading several comments of concern and getting a phone call from my VERY UPSET "much older sister Susan", I realized I didn't make it clear that the bear stood up because it probably smelled me, but couldn't see me (the meadow slopes downhill quite dramatically where he was standing). The second he saw me he quickly turned and scampered into the woods. I would never have ventured out into the yard if he had stayed. I was working up close to the house and he had been far down in the meadow. We were avid bird feeders when we lived in Dallas; but here we have never fed the birds for this very reason. I have many neighbors who do feed the birds and the feeders are close to their houses and the bears come up at night to eat the seed, which I find scary. We do not store any garbage outside. I think both these things attribute to why, in six years, this is the first time we've seen a bear on the property.
I have the utmost reverence towards bears. A teddy bear is "cute", but a real bear is a strong, powerful and dangerous animal. For those concerned about sweet Ella, she is never one to chase another animal (unless it's one of her puppy friends;) and she doesn't like to hang outside by herself during the day, and at night we always watch her when she goes outside.
But I do thank you for your concern, and Susan... stop worrying! ;)
Wow! My daughter in Connecticut has a bear that comes down through the strip of woods behind their house. That would be a little unnerving. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteOh my!! You were a brave one. I think my need for yard work would have left. I live in North Central Florida, and we have black bears as well, but I have never seen one.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter.
Hugs, Gee
Wow! How great to see him standing! I am always amazed by the beauty of nature and its beasts.When we were in Alaska a few years back zip-lining, we went right over a bunch of big black bears. Amazing. Hope you do get a visit from the Easter Bunny, and that your day is a happy one. xx
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness Joan! I cannot believe you went out there you are braver than me! He does look majestic but when I was a child we went to Yellowstone Park. My dad decided to get out of the car to snap some photos of the bears. A bear chased him around the vehicle for what seemed like an eternity before a Dad was finally able to get the door open and hop back inside. They are way bigger in person than they seem. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteOh my!
ReplyDeleteWow! We have bears here, but I have never seen the actual animal ... Just the poop left behind in the garden. Found it for the first time a few years ago and had to look it up online to confirm my suspicion. Yep, bear poop. Besides this, we have coyotes. Saw one run across the road, a lot like your bear did to Dan.
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunning creature! I'd be inclined to frame one of these photos! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAngela
Wow, and I thought all the wildlife we had around here was exciting...so far no bears! Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteKat
OMG! You and Ella be extra careful in the yard, ok?
ReplyDeleteLovely post! So Funny; so beautiful. Thank you!
ReplyDeletePlease be careful. We have a bear in our neighborhood too. He casually strolls through like he owns the place. It scares me for the pets , like Ella, in the area. They may look sweet and playful but they are very wild as you know. We have had several pets disappear and feel like this is why.
ReplyDeleteHope you are doing well. I think about you often.
hugs,
Dianne
Goodness...you were certainly brave to go out after that! Happy Easter! ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing photos! I'd keep my head on a swivel when out in the garden too. Take care!
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter. Hope the Easter Bunny isn't frightened off by Mr. Bear. '-)
Oh wow ... wonderful to see a bear out in the open, free, not in a cage and apparently healthy but still .. he is in your yard !! You go out tomorrow and buy some of that spray for bears .. or a fog horn .. or just stay in the house .. that will make me feel better :)
ReplyDeleteLions, and Tigers, and BEARS....oh, my!!!!
ReplyDeleteIn our area there was a woman attacked by a bear in her yard last week and in the same subdivision one broke through a homes screen porch. Seven bears were caught and moved from the subdivision to a rural area. Please be careful!
ReplyDeleteI love all creatures but I'm afraid bears scare the daylights out of me!! I would never feel comfortable being outdoors knowing they were in the vicinity!! You are much more brave than me! But I love your sense of awe and adventure!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
He's a beauty for sure (from a distance)! Happy Easter! Sara, Ohio
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!! I don't know if I would have been thrilled or scared to death! What a beautiful creature! Happy Easter from Buttercup Bliss!!!
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures! He sure is one gorgeous bear!! How lucky you are to see something so rare and wonderful!!!!
ReplyDeleteExciting and scary at the same time. Love the photo of the bear standing up!
ReplyDeleteWow, cute bear, but I would've been terrified.
ReplyDeleteNext time...bear in yard, then NO yard work especially with hubs gone. They have come out of hibernation and are hungry!! I just watched a TV episode of a woman in Sanibel Island, FL that got mauled and DIED....same time of year. MEAN IT!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's crazy! And really cool. How great that you were able to get photos!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool. Looking at your photos makes me want a bear in my backyard. So adorable. And a little scary too. Be very very careful!
ReplyDeleteWow, you're a brave girl to go out after that. Not me. Great pics.
ReplyDeleteI would probably never go outside again....omg.! Please be careful!
ReplyDeleteNow that's definitely something you don't see every day ... at least not in my neck of the woods. Amazing pics! I live on the outskirts of OKC, and just the other night, during the full moon, we saw an albino deer in the meadow behind our house. It was eerily beautiful, but much less formidable than your bear!
ReplyDeleteOh my! We went to stay in a cabin off the Kenai Peninsula this summer where we were stalked by a bear. To say I was afraid is an understatement!
ReplyDeletewww.designsbykaty.com
WOW!
ReplyDeleteAnd to think I get excited when we get a visit from a pheasant!
Hello Joan, It's funny, when "nature" returns to an area, we appreciate it at first, but it is not always a good sign. The fact that the bears are returning probably means that where they have been living is being eliminated or otherwise cannot support them. Unfortunately, we cannot return to Wilderness days.
ReplyDeleteStay safe,
--Jim
Dayum Joan....Next I will be expecting monkeys. Wait...That is our neck of the woods.
ReplyDelete...oh my goodness...what would the farmer think...or do?...blessings laney
ReplyDeleteWOW! Great pics! Thanks for sharing! Happy Easter to you too!!
ReplyDeleteWOW! When he stood up, that is scary! I'd keep my head swiveling too! Happy Easter to you and yours. I hope Easter is "bearable"....I could not resist:) xo
ReplyDeleteHi Joan:
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you had ever seen any bears where you were. I've never seen one standing before....great pic. Here in Burlington (but out in the country on 10 acres) we have seen them occasionally. We've had to stop feeding the birds because it attracts them. We like to eat outside or grill out, but we're always careful to bring all food inside afterwards. Great to live in the country, but still have to be careful. Take care.
Bev
Wow! Great story and photos!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has a place in Jackson, The first time I went up there was a young bear crossing in her front yard....it is scary. I like the porcupine better. Have a great Day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo of the bear standing up. My first reaction when I looked out an upstairs window and saw one on our cabin driveway was the same as yours - what a big black dog, and he walks funny, and has a brown muzzle . . . omg, it's a bear! It takes longer to say it than the mental processing took. And that one was a small one, maybe a yearling. I was afraid of what our dog Maddie would do - would she try to chase him? So I yelled at my husband to bring her in from the porch and that scared the bear off. Since then I've only seen them in the yard one other time, but there is evidence they're around. Maddie proved she's smart when walking a trail near our house. She and I both heard something and stopped, but we couldn't see past the curve in the trail ahead. My husband walked forward and peeked around the bend and saw a bear looking toward him. The bear then took off in the opposite direction and we turned tail, too, and Maddie was the fastest one heading back. She wasn't having anything to do with that bear! Happy Easter.
ReplyDeleteSuch great photos!! I've never seen a bear in the wild. Hopefully someday. And the porcupine was the icing on the cake!! : ) Happy Easter to you and your family!!
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
What a beautiful bear, but the claws are quite big! Thankfully, you were safe at the house when he decided to scout out your property. We bought a faux bear skin rug (stuffed animal type) for our son years ago in Blowing Rock, NC & he appropriately named him, "Yikes!" I think you need to name your bear too. Happy Easter to you, Dan & sweet Ella!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful sighting! And such great photos - like National Geographic! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteWhat exciting wildlife you have in your "yard"! This morning I saw a squirrel standing on its hind legs and I heard a mockingbird singing. I know there's no comparison, but I was probably just as excited as you were. :-) Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteThat is AWESOME! What an unexpected treat! They are typically way more afraid of us than we are of them. I love that you celebrated seeing it, instead of being afraid. Too cool.
ReplyDeleteJoan, Dan, and Ella: Wow! Mike and I saw one, last summer, walking across a road in the Conway, NH area at dusk. Because I noticed him in a distance, I, too, thought at first that it was a dog. While we were away last summer, I had a message that there was a large one in our MA front yard, around dusk. I guess that s/he has been spotted throughout our neighborhood. Beautiful pictures! Happy Easter, Cindy
ReplyDeleteHi Joan!
ReplyDeleteI stopped by to wish you a Happy Easter and was shocked! LOL... What a "guest" you got there, eh?! :-)
We live by the ocean (a block away), but it's very woodsy here... there a river that cross our property (that leads to the bay), which freezes during winter. About four years ago the kids and I saw two pumas crossing the frozen river towards our backyard. It was extremely scary! I started screaming, calling my husband and they got scared and ran back to the forest. Thank God we never saw them again, but it still freaks me out when the kids are playing outside and I never leave them alone.
Did I mention we're selling this place? It's a piece of paradise, but you don't want to live with animals around you when you have small kids. :-)
Have a very Blessed Easter!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting, Joan! What great photos you captured. I just did some reading up on black bears. Their diet is mostly vegetation though they are omnivores. They also eat a lot of insects. They are for the most part shy creatures and will run away rather than have an encounter with a human, though there have been attacks. It's interesting to read the differences between black bears and brown bears. I've never seen a wild bear, and I think it would be so exciting! You're smart not to feed the birds since that attracts them closer to one's home. The worst we've had at our feeders are rats. Yuck, but that's city living.
ReplyDeleteClaudia
Hi Joan....Bev again. I'm glad you got so many concerned readers and family. It was a shocker for me when I moved here and saw a bear in our yard. Again, a very large yard like yours, but it's still unnerving. I have learned that it's part of living in nature and have also seen they are likely more afraid of you than you them. But if there are food or cubs....well, we all know about that. My husband or I would always go out with our little cocker, especially at night. He was deaf and going blind in his old age, so we were careful with him. But it must be comforting to know that all of us strangers care about you and your family.
ReplyDeleteI think it's hard to find the right word- exhilarating?!
ReplyDeleteStill going to worry!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great catch to get him/her standing up. But scary! Don't you walk out there sometimes?
ReplyDeleteAND as a huge favor, I am NOT telling Mother!!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I also know you and Dan would get in front of a bear if it was coming at Ella. We would too with Vince and Roxi! That's also why we worry!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog, oh my gosh, a Texan, I am born bred native Texan, with LOUISIANA
ReplyDeleteroots too, true southerner, living in Michigan. I soooo love your posts, your home is just beautiful
I love Ella, she is precious, we have a lab/newfie Tank (adopted North Park Mall), he nine years
old such a clown loves people, poochies. Then there is Tanner, golden/yellow lab, (rescue) he is thethe sweetheart seven years old.
I love love all of your pics.Soooooo glad I found ya, your decor is awesome.
We have bears too and like you take the precautionary measures to keep them away from our house. The only thing I want to caution you about is due to their increased population in northeast, it seems some are becoming braver and aren't as frightened off by humans as we'd like to believe. It's not unusual to read a story in our local paper about sightings in town where the population is far greater than us country dwellers. Our dogs are the best for alerting us before we can even spot them.
ReplyDeleteI live on a little 12 acre hobby farm in southern Minnesota. I have 2 labs who are outdoor dogs. Because of them, I don't even have squirrels (which I love) so I am a little jealous that you have this wildlife! I have seen the occasional rabbit and I did have a family of turkeys one day but that's about it. Thanks for sharing. I find it very exciting - and a little scary.
ReplyDeleteWe live in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia Canada. At the base of Burke Mountain. Which was all forest and streams but is now being ripped apart and being used to build residential monster houses. So...the poor wildlife has no where to go. We have bears wandering thru our streets as early as 9pm while people are still walking there dogs. Scary. They go thru garbage cans. A coipke of weeks back we had 2 very large cubs that were playing in the neighbors yard. Nothing spooks them anymore.
ReplyDeleteLast year when the plums were ripe we had one on hour shed at Noon while my dog was outside. I had just gone around the corner to the park. Frightening.
"They" say that the meadows behind my home, where there are also forests, are full of bears and foxes and some wolves or coyotes. Good G*d .. just me and the little bitty kitty, staying inside .. I think we are safe as long as there is no food/garbage outside.
ReplyDeleteI have a herd of deer that visit the bird feeders, they are not so scary :)
We love on 22 acres in Pennsylvania and see our fair share of wildlife including coyotes, which I can't stand because they kill everything they can get hold of. Twelve years ago this June, my then 11-year old niece was visiting and we were in the driveway when I hear something and turned around and saw a huge black bear in our side yard. He was eating the corn we put out for the turkey's. I stood frozen in shock while my niece ran screaming into the garage yelling " AUNT PAULA GET IN HERE!! THEY JUST DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!" And then she closed the garage door on me. :) I calmly dialed 911 and reported there was a bear in my yard and the dispatcher asked me 3 times if it wasn't just a big dog. I had 4 big dogs; I was certainly sure it was a bear. The entire time my niece was having a melt down inside the house , I was standing in he driveway watching the bear munch on the turkey's corn. After I convinced the 911 dispatcher this was, indeed, a black bear, 5 police vehicles screamed onto my property with sirens and lights blaring. Like THAT was necessary! The police officers got out with guns drawn and told me to step aside. Yea, right, like that was going to happen! The bear stood up on its hind legs, sniffed around and walked off into the woods. The game warden called me a few days later to let me know the bear had been spotted a few miles away and was a full grown male. To this day, it could've been a T-Rex in the yard and I would've been just as shocked. My husband was in NYC and missed the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! We have a few running around our town. Although black bears are "friendly" I, like you would never approach one.
ReplyDeleteHi Joan, living in Australia, and having a bit of a love of bears, I find this quite exciting. Your post didn't sound to me like you were in any danger - and you were careful to keep a lookout when you did go outside. I would have loved to have this experience. Thank you for the gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteWanted to add one other thing for you and any of your readers that *may* find helpful. If a bear is in your area too close for comfort, activate the alarm on your car using your key since loud noises usually makes them want to leave. Most keys will work from inside the safety of your house.
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed "Majestic" animals... wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just cuddle and love on them.... or maybe just pet them like we do our beloved "Canine" friends... I have always admired the American Black Bear!! But... I also am very aware that they are wild animals... Ella.. stay close to Mommy!! :) ... Beautiful pictures.. thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteOMG!! that is exciting and scary. I would be afraid to take the walks that you do. It did make for a great picture. When I look at the canvas of your meadow in my bedroom now, I will picture a bear standing near............
ReplyDeleteBest Regards, Wenda
Amazing visitor. Exciting and scarey at the same time. I would have kept inside for the rest of the day. I live in a big city suburb and I am amazed at the wildlife that has moved in to a heavily populated area. I am always on the lookout since I have 3 chickens which have more enemies that any animal should have. I guess everyone loves chicken, but our little dog watches the yard pretty carefully and chases anything that moves, except the chickens.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated Easter.
Cindy
I would die if I saw a bear like that in my hard!!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful how much you appreciate seeing the bear and observing it carefully from within your home. It sounds like you are informed how you live in an area full of wildlife. Well done. I hope you enjoy more careful wildlife sightings. When I lived in northern New Hampshire in the White Mts, we had a bear come in our back door and grab the garbage bag! That taught me a lot! I now live among many wild animals which I enjoy tremendously. They do not scare me, but I give them their space.
ReplyDeleteI am just now seeing this post....still catching upom being away. What a beautiful, but scary animal!!! Glad you used caution, I would have had my head swiveling too!!!! XO
ReplyDelete