THE BEAR CAME OVER THE MOUNTAIN

Here we have a picture of a Black Bear

(Ursus americanus)

Photo courtesy of the U. S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

The Black Bear uses its sharp, curved claws

to scrape insects and grubs out of logs.
He is the only kind of bear that lives in North Carolina.

He's a shy animal, but many people do not know that.

He's often mischaracterized as a fierce carnivore

in books and movies, but is really an omnivore,

eating mostly plants, insects, and some meat.

While they vary in color, most black bears

are black with a brown muzzle.

Each of their feet has five toes with sharp, curved claws.

They use their claws to feed on insects and grubs in logs.
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The black bear also apparently likes black sunflower seeds

and peanuts!

At least the one that tore into our back porch did!

We didn't get a look at him, because he came during the night

(two nights in a row, in fact!).

He ripped the screen on one end of the porch to come in,

and went out the other end, in the same way.
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The picture below is of a part of our back yard and potting shed.
Notice round logs which the bear tossed to and fro.

The coffee can on the ground had been on the porch full of

sunflower seeds for the birds and chipmunks.

Here's the torn screen where he came in:

There's a glare from the sun, so it's
hard to see that the cloth on the picnic table
is all frumpled up.The can that was full of
peanuts is empty on the floor, and the floor is
littered with wet chewed peanut shells.
He must've sat here on the floor gobbling up those
peanuts and spitting out the shells. The rascal!

Oh yes, and he left some souvenirs in the yard..........
We have black bears wandering through our area now and then.

They seldom get this brave, though.

Needless to say, we've brought all of the bird feeders

and seed cans in for tonight.