I was shocked when I saw it and thought I was mistaken when I first spotted it, but nope, it was definitely a bear. 😱 In all the time my family has lived here, there was only one other time when a family member (my mother) claimed that she saw a bear in the back yard. She was beginning to show some signs of age-related dementia as well as some eyesight issues, so we were never sure of her report. However, now I am convinced that she might have been correct.
Immediately after the sighting and my snapping this pic for proof, I called one of my neighbors to alert her of the visitor. She spends a good bit of time outdoors doing work in her yard, and she often keeps her garage door open for hours at a time, too. I did not want her to become an appetizer for a hungry bear. She told me she had been out walking through the neighborhood earlier in the evening and had seen the bear from a distance (one-quarter mile from here), so she called someone to come and give her a ride.
The beastie remained on all-fours as s/he wandered through the yard. If I had been standing beside the bear, I imagine the ridge of its back would have been about waist-high on me. Upon reaching the opposite diagonal-corner of the property, it turned and wandered back, then took an alternate route back towards the corner from which it came and disappeared into a sparsely-wooded area.
screenshot from Google Maps
A few miles away from here, I would not have been as surprised where true "country" landscape reigns and thick woods are common. Bears are also known to frequently be seen in the mountains, just 20 minutes away. But here, at the liminal area between suburbs and country, I was quite surprised. And it is making me re-think the compost heap out back.
😊SOURCES
1 Wikipedia: American Black Bear
03-Sep-2019
Ahh, the Bears!
we've had a bear that hopped on a train across the bridge, to get to our penninsula.
The train is an engine, and a bunch of open bin cars, and it's known as the Trash Train. They found him a week later, riding the train off the Cape!
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Before we bought our house there had been a black Bear in our yard. One of the neighbors told us about it. We live in a VERY urban area. It would definitely be cool to see but I would be crapping myself every time I was in the yard or taking out the garbage later. Stay safe enjoy the nature from a safe distance. ☺️
That's awesome! I remember growing up, we'd have a bear or three in our yard every couple months! Down here, they are far less common and I have been hearing reports of people seeing them here in town. I imagine with their population increasing and civilization expanding, they need more room. I think I read somewhere that they have a 100 mile radius for their territory, but I may be wrong.
Hey @thekittygirl! Yes, please be careful. Bears can be unpredictable and especially if they have any cubs with them. Might be time to think about having some bear spray handy just in case. Stay safe!
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A bear?!?
Very different to a kangaroo!
...meanwhile kids here scream when a stray dog passes by...
I don't know but it seems like a very special experience to have a bear in your backyard for whatever reason, but always stay safe :)
How I hope that they are tame so that I can hug them...awww...Hello!
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Zero bears where I live (luckily)
That's cool to see but I hope that nothing bad will happen to you neighborhood. Take care always and have a great day
too close fr comfort for me!
I'd be so afraid to even go outside, let alone to allow my dogs to go out there.
What a cute bear. I like what you did with the photo; it looks like an oil painting now.
Glad it didn't destroy anything! Probably just out for a stroll and a snack. Hopefully he made it back home without incident.
Wow, a bear in your backyard @thekittygirl. Hopefully it wasn't interested in your compost! We have bears wander through our subdivision ocassionally but I haven't spotted them. That was nice of you to notify your neighbor, our neighbors leave their garage door open all of the time. Snakes and various crawling creatures could easily make their way into the garage but they don't seem to be concerned. Crazy stuff
Funny, we had a complete discussion about if real man would kill bears with their hands. But better to stay safe!
That's scary..
Just be careful
We dont even have bears here!!
A mixed blessing, I guess. A magnificent creature, but also dangerous, right. Stay safe.
What a surprise! It’s not everyday one sees a bear roaming around their yard. He must have been hungry to come out of the woods and into a suburb.
I use to get bear tracks all the time in the backyard over a couple of years. The city a number of times even tried to lure it out. Everyone had to get special trash cans. Sadly it has moved on. At one point it had little cubs. They where soooo cute! Long gone every time I got a camera to try and get a photo.
Oh, my goodness! Scott says he wants to see a bear so badly, but I fear that would be on the trail and I am not sure that is where I would want to meet the cute and cuddly beast! I am so glad you and your neighbor were safe. This could have been such a bad situation for her.
Ren
I've never seen a bear and I've been all over the world...
I have been living inthe woods for almost a year now and still haven't spotted one. Lucky you
Love me that kind of wildlife although it can be a little bit nerve racking
Hehehe... I would be so shocked myself if I saw a big black bear in my backyard!
Oh my goodness I’d freeze if I ever saw a bear that close. Honestly I always loved the scenery of houses within the mountains but never wanted to live there to avoid encounters with wild animals. I’m glad it stayed on all fours and I hope you, your family and everyone in your area remains safe and out of harms way. We get excited when we see deer in our backyard, I couldn’t imagine seeing this.
That's a pretty awesome sight to behold, when one takes you by surprise and comes around looking for food! And it was a good call calling your neighbor to check on her, and make sure she knew Yogi was in the yard looking for a pic-a-nic basket!
If I had not called her, it would have been a boo-boo 😂
really a real bear, it didn't do anything for someone there? Where do you live kitty to have a bear in the backyard?
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I had to rethink my compost heap because of rats! I had compost for 18 years in Brooklyn NY and never saw a single rat in it. But in the suburbs, they are common. And we get bears regularly. Man needs to rethink his trying to live apart, and to know we are all, flora, fauna and man, all connected.
As always, you've made a very good post.
Howdy thekittygirl! Very interesting sight! I wonder if something attracted him to your neighborhood or he or she was just curious or got spooked out of her normal territory?
Great shot, @thekittygirl! And interesting timing for me, given I'm pretty certain we had a bear outside our living room windows last night (smelled a wicked musky scent, and a neighbor told us today they found bear scat at the end of our driveway this morning). In one respect, it's not that surprising with all the woods that surround this property, but we're actually not that far out in the middle of nowhere.
Good on you for warning your neighbor, and might not be a bad idea to rethink your compost location. And thanks for sharing that excellent shot with with! 😊
garbage pickup is MUCH safer!!!! One bear is one too many in my backyard!! Honest!!
gives me shivers reading this!!
That is so cool! There are none in my area, but I occasionally see one if I spend time in Northern Wisconsin. That must have been a really big surprise!
I haven't seen a bear this season, but I know they're around. I've stayed out of the bush for the most part this fall so I don't run into one. It's a little scary when they venture too far out of the forest. I always worry that they'll get into trouble. Hopefully it'll keep to the woods and stay out of your yard. It's so important for us humans to find ways to live in harmony with wildlife... but that also means we can't take over too much of their habitat. Tricky business, that. Glad you're okay and that the bear cleared out.
Pictures of the bear? Did you snap any? :D