Thursday, March 21, 2024

Wildlife Sighting - A Bear in the Yard

We knew that our little corner of the Oregon Coast was more rugged and wild than any of the places that we had lived before. A few weeks after moving, something was cruising through the backyard in the middle of the night that Shadowfax could smell through the open window. Her crazy barking fit sent whatever it was scampering on their way.

Chatting with our neighbors also alerted us to regular bear activity in the area. Supposedly there are cougar and coyote as well, but we haven't seen any sign of them. Other than the occasional deer sighting on our early morning walks, we hadn't seen much else either. Until yesterday.

I was pouring our evening tea and looked out the kitchen window, spotting this bear eating grass or (maybe grubs) in the lawn. Alycia decided that the bear had probably recently woken from hibernation as the bear looked a bit dazed and spacey. Some hurtful comments followed comparing how I look when I first wake up in the morning. Those comments will certainly not be posted here. 

Don't fret though, we take all necessary bear related precautions - removing our birdfeeders in Spring and Fall, securing our trash cans, and making sure there are no fruiting trees in the backyard. And when we venture out on our walks we always carry bear spray, just in case. It's fun to see cool animals like this bear, and with a few small adjustments on our part and a little bit more situational awareness, we can all coexist happily. The bears were certainly here before we were.

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