Last night there were bears in my apple tree.

[Gregorian]

It's the tiny things that mean a lot to me.

Last night just before bed I opened the back door to look up at the stars, like I do every night. I heard a faint sound. Then a snap. And I could tell that something was in the apple trees. And it had to be a bear, because these are big apple trees. No deer could reach that high. I wanted to go out and look, but you know, the bears need to enjoy their life without being scared. Then I cupped my hands to my ears, and I could actually hear the sound of chomping apples. It was so cool.

I went out there this morning, and there were the claw marks. And other evidence of what was probably a mother and a cub.

How often does that happen anymore? I feel priviledged.

[Kolesar]

1. Wow. That's a great story

Thanks for sharing. I have seen plenty of deer in the abandoned orchards near where I live.

[Gregorian]

2. Abandoned orchards.

That sounds so fantastic to me. I didn't know anything abandoned was allowed any more. Forgive my dreaming. I'm just feeling trapped in a world that seems full of ugliness. Very trapped. Chomping apples was a delightful break.

[uppityperson]

3. The Biggest Bear. Book I had as a child.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0395148065.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
One of the things that made me want to live in AK for a while. Thank you for listening to your bear(s) eat rather than just chasing them off. Sharing your world with nature is a wonderful balance to the ugly political world.

[FloridaPat]

4. I just have squirrels and racoons. You may keep the bears though.

I'll let you have all the glory there. Great story though.

[Blue Gardener]

5. Nice of you to feed them

No bears in my neck of the woods. The raccoons get pretty big, but not that big.

[OnionPatch]

6. Cool. I always enjoy visits from wildlife, even bears.

The last bear encounter I had was when one broke into my chicken coop and ate four of my chickens! He came back a few nights later and the dogs and I chased him away. I was pretty upset about losing the chickens. Still, I was sort of in awe and glad to have seen him. He was big and pretty and left claw marks on a tree by the coop. I haven't seen him again since I turned the coop into Fort Knox.

Once a bobcat ate one of the chickens and I got a great look at it, too. It was absolutely beautiful. I was almost not even mad that it ate Velma. Sad tho. :cry:

[Gregorian]

7. Wow, we're all so kind here.

Most people have a fit. But we here see how rare something is, and value that.

I didn't know bears ate things like chickens. That's outrageous.

I just discovered that the only apples that are ripe yet are the ones the bears ate. They can tell. Probably by smell. I figure my orchard is their last refuge. With all of the forests disappearing here, they need every bit of help they can get.

[Kolesar]

8. More bears in PA now than there ever were

They have thrived in land that was abandoned farms with fruit trees and trees that are offspring of the original fruit trees. From the reading that I have done about bears, a lot of their diet is fruit. In Alaska, they consume huge amounts of blueberries and soapberries before hibernation.

[Botany]

9. Cool! Bay Airs Rock

[Gregorian]

11. That scares the hell out of me.

But it's so cool! What a great world it could be/is.

[eleny]

10. Did you see that story on the tv news the other night?

http://cbs4boston.com/pets/local_story_278082438.html

'Drunk' Bear Captured Near Colorado School

"Deputies fired a bean bag at the bear which appeared to be woozy and wobbly as it moved away from the school. They speculated the animal was drunk from eating rotten apples in its preparation for hibernation.

The DOW officers arrived later and shot it with a tranquilizer dart.

The female bear was estimated to be between 3 and 4-years-old.

DOW officials said the bear was tagged for its first offense and will be released at a higher elevation in the mountains."

Btw, Gregorian, Lyons Colorado is in Boulder County in the foothills.

[Gregorian]

12. I found more bears!

Yes, I did see that. It saddened me. And amused me. But mostly I am deeply disturbed by our disruption of their world. And my world. I'm also being displaced, moving from property to property. But that's for another forum. One I am not able to find.


However... I discovered three huge apple trees that I didn't know I had. And the bears had be having a wild bear apple eating party. Broken limbs, and feces everywhere! What a discovery. I just love stuff like that. The little things in life that make me happy.


:)