[Bristol-Birds] more bear poop and people
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <butternuts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 14:17:31 -0400
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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