FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Re: more bear poop and people

[Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wallace,

Might you have a picture of a bear-proof bird feeder?  I would
certainly support such a thing.  I've not seen any that are
commercially available (though I'd not be surprised if there were
some).

Charlie

--- Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Charlie Muise,
> 
>  
> 
> Let me join you in supporting many of the things you shared with
> the
> Buttenut nature list subscribers.  I differ with you in that 
> 
> I'm a huge fan of bear-proof bird feeders.  If the birding
> community would
> simply stop leaving
> 
> bird feeders outdoors overnight, they could  keep themselves and
> the bears
> safe :-).  Feeders of
> 
> all kinds need to be kept out of the yards along with securing
> trash,
> cleaning and storing cooking
> 
> grills in secure shelters, etc. :-)
> 
>  
> 
> I know readers will think I am ridiculous but bears do come around
> at night
> and they will even
> 
> poop in your driveway and your yard.  Try getting that out from
> between your
> toes or cleaning
> 
> off your sneakers before walking in on your carpets or hardwood
> floors.  I
> know because I
> 
> stepped in a fresh cow pile on a Christmas count and Ken Hale and
> other
> birders ran me through
> 
> a nearby carwash before they would let me continue birding with
> them.
> 
>  
> 
> At the left is a fresh pile of bear poop left in my neighbor's
> driveway last
> night by a visiting bear. This was at the home of Ron and Bunny
> Schoenhardt
> who live on Cloudland Drive here in Bristol Tennessee on the ridge
> just
> three doors up from my home.
> 
>  
> 
> The Schoenhardts and Coffeys live on the northeast end of White Top
> Knobs
> about 1.5 miles up Cedar Creek from where the bear was reported to
> police on
> Sunday afternoon.  I don't know if we have an actual bear
> population in
> these urban ridges or if a transient vagrant is passing thru this
> weekend.
> As man would walk up these ridges it would be a nice hike, as the
> crow flies
> it would be minutes.  As a bear runs it is no time flat.
> 
>  
> 
> I awoke to find my bird feeders disrupted again as usual this
> morning.  My
> wife, Carolyn, was cautious and wanted to know if we had a bear
> attack.  I
> assured her it was only the raccoon that is giving us fits.
> 
>  
> 
> Ron Schoenhardt telephoned at 10:45 a.m.  He claims to have had a
> bear
> attack at his house.  Who is jerking me around?  Did someone on
> Butternuts
> nature listserv telephone Ron and tell him I was being
> "irresponsible" with
> bear reporting on the Butternuts nature list ?  Ron says a big
> Black Bear
> just left a big pile of bear poop (scat if you prefer) in his
> driveway.  Oh
> my gosh !  He had telephoned the local newspaper and asked them to
> come out
> and take a picture and write a story. Bunny says he called the
> Tennessee
> Wildlife Resources Agency.  I think they should bring a shovel and
> clean up
> his driveway. 
> 
>  
> 
> Ron wanted me to go take a look.  Also, he wanted me to see the
> bear attack
> he had at the "irresponsible" bird feeding he had been doing.  Yes,
> Ron
> leaves his bird feeders out all night!  Yes.  You guessed it.  They
> are not
> bear proof :-).  
> 
>  
> 
> I'm a huge fan of bear-proof bird feeders.  Just look what that
> darn bear
> did to the feeder in their backyard.  I arrived just as  
> 
>  
> 
> the newspaper photographer and reporter arrived from the Bristol
> Herald
> Courier.  
> 
>  
> 
> Oh, man.  I forgot to put on my suit and tie :-(.
> 
>  
> 
> In the photo at the left you see the feeder pole bent to the ground
> with all
> the tube feeders ripped away.  Carolyn stands at the bottom of the
> yard in
> her red top.  Bunny is wearing green.  The newspaper photog is
> wearing a
> blue top with matching green pants.  I am behind the camera.  A
> reporter is
> hiding from the camera just out of view to the right.
> 
>  
> 
> When Bunny and Ron went to bed last night the feeders were all
> hanging out
> nicely for the birds.  They were full of seed.  The cooking grill
> in secure
> shelter with the propane tank left outdoors in a well-ventilated
> area.
> 
>  
> 
> The un-bear-proof city trash can was nearby but the bear did not
> show any
> interest or at least it wasn't disturbed.   Maybe the bear did not
> detect
> it.  I looked in the can and there was almost nothing in it but one
> or two
> small trash bags. You should have seen the thistle tubes.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
>     Photo at left shows bear claws or tooth marks.              
> Photo at
> right shows tube feeder in at least six pieces.
> 
>  
> 
> One day this bear will come around looking for its meal and find it
> - in the
> form of my neighbor's small dog that is conveniently tethered in
> the yard..
> After eating the dog, I hope the bear doesn't corner a birder in my
> yard.
> But I do hope the birder will escape unharmed.
> 
>  
> 
> Let's go birding...
> 
>  
> 
> Wallace Coffey
> 
> Bristol, TN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: butternuts@yahoogroups. On Behalf Of Charlie
> Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2006 9:41 PM
> To: butternuts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [butternuts] bears and people
> 
>  
> 
> Wallace,
> 
> Thanks for all the info regarding bears. Obviously that is both
> very
> interesting and potentially dangerous for both people and bears. I
> hope everyone in that area is taking action to keep themselves and
> the bears safe - not feeding pets outdoors, securing trash,
> cleaning
> and storing cooking grills in secure shelters, etc.
> 
> I lived in the Poconos during a time when there were a number of
> bad
> interactions, which resulted in 2 dead bears, a dead dog, an
> injured
> person and a good bit of property damage. Each incident involved
> bears getting fed by people. The scariest one was a case in which a
> neighborhood "adopted" a cub whose mother was killed by a car. Over
> the course of a few years the bear became accustomed to making the
> rounds, getting fed literally out of hand in some cases. Several
> people put out food for it on a regular basis. No harm appeared to
> happen until a new family bought a house. The old owners neglected
> to tell the new ones about the "pet" they were unwillingly
> adopting. 
> One day the bear came around looking for its meal and found it - in
> the form of a small dog that was conveniently tethered to the deck
> where the bowl of food traditionally was. After eating the dog the
> bear cornered a person - who thankfully was able to escape
> unharmed. 
> The bear was later shot.
> 
> I'm a huge fan of bear-proof dumpsters!
> 
> Charlie
> 
> *******************************************************************
> Charlie Muise, Naturalist near
> Great Smoky Mountains National Park
> 
> "To the dull mind all nature is leaden. To the illuminated mind 
> the whole world sparkles with light." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
> 
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> 
> 


*******************************************************************
Charlie Muise, Naturalist near
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

"To the dull mind all nature is leaden.  To the illuminated mind 
the whole world sparkles with light."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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