Another visitor was a black bear, on the night of October 5th.
It was a warm fall night, after having some rain showers.
We had gone to bed, but I was watching TV when
I noticed the outside motion lights were on.
I went to the kitchen and standing on our brick walk
very close to the door was a black bear,
reaching up for a feeder we had forgotten to take down.
She pulled the bottom of the feeder away from the
lid and seed fell everywhere.
Immediately I went and got Joe awake. As we watched it,
we were trying to determine if it was male or female.
Joe decided this was a female, by it's built.
She was not a big muscular bear, but she was to heavy
for to be a younster, and her snout was narrower then a male's.

She busied herself scraping the ground for loose
sunflower seed. She checked the nearby water dish, and then laid
down and stretched out her body on the brick walk,
pawing and licking the ground for more seed.

When she got up there was a wet outline of her body, marking the spot on the walk where she laid.
She was in no hurry to leave, and lumbered around
checking the bear banner hanging on front of carport, and checking out my car.
But I keep nothing in the car that smells good, for bears have been known to get into vehicles after left over food.
She moved away from the carport, sat down on her hind legs and scratched her belly. So funny. As she ventured around, she smelled the thistle feeder. She carefully lifted it off the shepherds hook, put it in her mouth and headed up into the mountain. A few days later we went up into the mountain, hoping to find the white feeder, but still have not found it. But Joe did find a green suet holder that had been missing for a year or better.

Since we figured she was done for the night, I went out
while Joe stood guard, and got the feeder in she took apart.
We went back to bed, kissed each other good night
and Joe turned over and back to sleep.
Me on the other hand continued to watch my show.
UH-OH! A half hour later the motion lights
were on again. I hurried out into the dining room,
and there she was again. Just strolling around,
after all this is her territory - would you argue with her?
I didn't wake Joe this time, he needed his sleep
to get up at four AM for work.

We name all our bears and this bear's name will be HoneyBear.
Very original LOL! HoneyBear smelled the suet holder
filled with peanut suet on the tree, played with it a bit
but didn't want it. She sat down several times,
and would pant, which made me wonder if she
might be with cub. It is fall, and in a few weeks the
bears will go into their partial hibernation,
and the females have their young in January.

Finally she got up, came right up to the door where I was
standing, and my heart pounding, for she was nosing
the door. Nothing like eye to eye contact with a black bear.
When she turned away, is when I started breathing again.
WHEW!
Now she was heading to the side of the house,
down the walk, and in under our back porch where the
garbage and recycle cans are set in place.
She walked up to the garbage can, and did she ever back off.
You don't suppose it could have been the smell
of dog dirt I cleaned up earlier in the evening
and had it in plastic bag, that made her back off do you?
So funny the way she backed up. Like thinking to herself...
EEEWWWWW!

I guess that was the final insult, and she slowly turned around
and headed down into the woods and darkness of night.

It has been quiet since her visit, other then for pesky
squirrels, chipmunks, and birds. With still November
to come, we don't doubt we will see another bear or two.