The Bear Who Came for Breakfast
“I’m not a criminal,” said Paddington, hotly. “I’m a bear!”
“There’s the bear!” I whispered loudly to my sleeping friend. It was already daylight at 6:30 AM in the wooded hills of Upper New York State. I was heading for the bathroom when I noticed a large black bear ambling across the lawn outside the bedroom window. I scrambled for my cameras and telephoto lens cursing myself for ignoring the photographer’s rule: Always have your camera set up when you go to bed so you’re ready for the next photo opportunity. My host, who gave up city life for country life four years ago, was hot on my heels as we tiptoed down the hall hoping for a second sighting of the bear.
It was Day 3 of a fun women’s retreat with three dear friends. We’re a diverse group of four “Seestas” from Canada and the US who’ve known each other for over two decades. This annual gathering involved a road trip to one of the Seesta’s beautiful log homes in the Appalachian Mountains north of NYC. Naturally, one of my first questions on arrival was, “Do you see much wildlife?” “We have a resident bear. My guests have all seen it, but I haven’t seen it yet. Although he regularly leaves signs he’s been around when he upsets the garbage and leaves a mess all over the lawn.”
“He’s coming around the garden!” squealed my friend as I locked the telephoto lens into place. I got a glimpse of his black form between two huge boulders that framed the patio and raced to the glass doors hoping he would continue across the lawn and not turn back into the woods.
The bear strolled along the edge of the patio turned and …. clambered up the steps onto the patio and headed right towards me. If the door had been open, he would have come right in!
This was a chill bear with a destination in mind; a large metal garbage can full of bird seed beside the house. Granola was on the menu. He knocked over the can and proceeded to chow down on the seed for the next 20 minutes.
We roused the two women upstairs who joined us for front row seats at the picture window. Reflections on the glass spoiled most of my shots but I think you can get the idea.
We rapped on the window to no avail. He was single-mindedly focused on breakfast. In fact, when he’d had his fill, he put his head between his paws and settled down for a nap.
A napping bear weighing at least 400 pounds outside the door put some constraints on our morning activities: coffee on the patio? Nope. Soak in the hot tub? Nope. Stroll around the property? Nope. Before he got too settled into that siesta I opened and closed the patio door with a bang. This roused him enough and he slowly wandered off the patio into the garden.
He gave us a parting glance before ambling towards the woods, his belly full of a meal intended for the birds.
The fact that the bear was alone and there had not been any local reports of cubs, made me I assume the bear was a male. I could be wrong about that. The encounter was a wonderful gift that came with a warning for the homeowner. Remove the bird seed and store all garbage out of bear reach. Black bears are omnivores with a keen sense of smell and great memories. They don’t forget the source of an easy meal. Although they are generally not aggressive unless startled or cornered, they deserve respect. The best protection from a bear attack is good management of garbage, compost and bird feeders.
Here are some tips from Parks Canada if you encounter a black bear.
I’m off to Vancouver Island for a few days. We hope to see black bears fishing along the shore when the tide is out. Fingers crossed this wonderful meeting with a NY black bear is a prelude to seeing his cousins on the West Coast. Hopefully I will have more bear stories to share in the coming weeks!