‘Bearly’ A Trace

By Nancy K. Crevier

When Fred and Joan Dwyer went to bed the night of January 25, their bird feeder was standing in their Farm Field Ridge backyard “nice and proud,” said Mr Dwyer. But in the bright, cold light of the morning, it lay sprawled on its side, more than a foot of metal post pulled out of the frozen ground. Bird seed was strewn about and the suet cage had been dragged off and emptied — most likely by whomever left the five-inch paw prints behind.

“It’s got to be a bear,” guessed Mr Dwyer, “or it would have to be an awfully big dog.”

The paw prints start near the driveway, meander past the iced-over bird bath and around the fallen bird feeder, then head off down the hill into the wooded yard.

Chances are, Mr Dwyer’s guess is correct. Gene and Mary Walsh, also Farm Field Ridge residents, caught a visitor to their garbage cans on film at 1 am that same night. There is no question: the culprit caught red-handed in the trash is a large, black bear.

“We heard a loud noise in our driveway,” said Mr Walsh. “I went out on the front porch and saw a big, furry animal. I thought it was an awfully large dog at first.”

When he put his glasses on, though, he was surprised to find that the big “dog” was actually a bear, standing next to their knocked over garbage receptacles.

“The bear was not particularly concerned about our presence and hung around apparently waiting for us to leave so he could eat in peace,” Mr Walsh said. “At one point, the bear stuck his snout inside the can and picked out bag of trash. He was walking away with the bag of garbage in his mouth, but when I yelled at him, he dropped it. This gave us time to get our camera and take photos.”

Throughout it all, the Walsh’s dog, Tiara, snoozed soundly, oblivious to the excitement.

Eventually, the bear strolled down the Walshes’ driveway and scurried across the lawn, hugging the trunk of an oak tree briefly before heading off into the darkness. Maybe the Dwyerses’ bird feeder, just over the hill, was the next stop?

“It was a fair-sized animal,” Mr Walsh said. “I would guess maybe 300 pounds. When he was hanging on the tree, I thought ‘He’s got to be four or five feet long.’ He was very big.”

Animal control authorities later suggested, based on the photos taken by Mr Walsh, that this was a young, adult male bear out looking for something to eat.

Black bears are naturally shy by nature, but sightings have become more frequent in Connecticut in recent years, as agricultural lands revert to woodlands favored by this animal. Small pets and dogs should be kept inside at night if bears are in the area. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection offers this advice to residents of the state regarding bears:

¬Do make birdfeeders and bird food inaccessible by discontinuing the feeding of birds from late March through November or by hanging feeders at least ten feet above the ground and six feet away from trunks.

¬Do eliminate food attractants by placing garbage cans inside a garage or shed. Add ammonia to trash to make it unpalatable.

¬Do clean and store grills after use.

¬Don’t intentionally feed bears. Bears that become accustomed to finding food near your home may become “problem” bears.

¬Don’t leave pet food outside overnight.

¬Don’t add meat or sweets to a compost pile.

While the Walshes have seen fox, turkey, and deer in their backyard, the January 26 early morning visitation by a bear was a first for them. This is, however, the second time in the past six months the Dwyers’ bird feeder has encountered a nocturnal knockdown by some large, uninvited guest.

“I don’t know if Joan will let me put it up again now,” surmised Mr Dwyer.