Traditionally the bears near Durango are supposed to wake up on tax day, April 15. I think our bear woke up about a week ago (the dog has been out in the middle of the night to chase something twice last week) and I finally saw the bear around 6AM Sunday morning crossing the field. I ran ran ran to get my glasses, camera and shoes, and by then he had walked out our driveway and was crossing the road.
He headed on down towards our neighbor’s Honey House
very calmly.
There’s a sapling obscuring this shot, but can you see how the hair on his neck stands up like a mane? and look how completely he turns under his foot with each step.
Glad he’s back.
I love that you have a bear! Not many people can say that (at least not where I live!) Any idea how many bears are in the area? Great photos - thanks for sharing them with us.
Oops - one more thing - any idea how big that bear is? Is it an adult bear? Thanks.
He looks a little lean after his winter nap. No wonder he’s out looking for food …
Do you take precautions with your trash? I don’t know if I would enjoy having a bear so close to my home and outbuildings. I think I would prefer if the neighborhood bear were rarely seen, except for tracks.
I’m not sure I’d be so excited about a bear living nearby!! Very cool to see occasionally, but not something I’d want to be able to see out my window on a regular basis, I don’t think! Awesome shots!
Barb, the guardrail is 30 inches high, so I think he’s about 48″ long…but he seems bigger. We follow bear rules like everyone else: garbage and dogfood is kept inside, watch the grease build-up in the grill, and don’t compost food waste outside. Birdfeeders have to be taken in every night. There are a lot of bears around here–I’ll find out how many for another post–but I think most people feel lucky to have them around.
We saw a bear on our bus tour to the lower Yellowstone Park tour.
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Ok, I live in Bear country, too, but I need to verify: is that a grizz or a black bear? It almost looks like it has a grizzly build, but with the recently dehibernated physique, I’m not sure. S/he is beautiful, regardless.
Paula, it’s just a black bear–they come in lots of colors here.
I wondered — I’m used to the color variations (they come in all colours up in BC, too - we even have the fancy schmancy Kermode Spirit bears (a white genetic mutation) on the coast
but the scraggly hair was half mimicking a hump, and so I was confused! I THOUGHT it should be a black bear, but then I wondered! Thanks.
oh, this will make you laugh :D. We’ve been up in this area way longer than most people (suburbia has encroached, sadly, and the bears and cougars keep their distance now), and so we still keep a bone bag in the deep freeze…. Except, the other day, it was found in the fridge…. WHOOPS!
that last was me again….
Spring is really there when old friends like the neighborhood bear reappears. I never realized they turned feet under as they picked them up to walk. I hope he didn’t find too many changes in the areaa.