Baby Bear

A few afternoons ago I was sitting at the dining room table working on a project.  Something caught my eye and I looked up.  I saw the furry black back legs of something walking past the window.  Based on the quick glance I had, I thought it was a dog of some kind, maybe a labradoodle.  It was more furry than a hound.  We get a lot of wandering dogs in this area, so I didn't really think anything else of it.  I got up and went to the window, wanting to see the new dog that had come by.  When I got to the window, instead of seeing the expected dog I saw a small black bear!  I would call it a baby, though it was not a new born.  I would guess based on its size that it was a yearling, or close to.  It turned the corner to the back of the house around the porch.  Unfortunately, there are no windows on that side of the house, so I went around to the back deck, not being certain of where the bear was, and knowing it was headed in that direction.  As I got to the back door and opened it to the screen door, there he was, just at the edge of the woods.  Our dog caught sight of him in that moment.  The bear looked back and saw us, that was the first time I got to see his two-toned face.  He went running into the woods.  In that moment, the dog caught the bear's sent and changed her whine.  Her hair was up, and she was ready to go running after the bear, as is her habit.

Since then, I have been out in the garden picking beans.  I brought the dog out with me, as I was a little nervous the bear, or its mother would be back.  The dog had been barking at the woods in the back yard for several days prior to the bear sighting, making me wonder if something was in the area.  I'm glad I thought to have her with me as she started barking at something several times in the direction from which the bear would have come the day I saw it.  I also heard something larger than a squirrel rustling in the trees near me several times while I was out.  While I love seeing wildlife, I didn't want the vivid experience that would be sure to ensue with me picking from the garden as a baby bear and mother come out of the trees.

I wonder if there is a coincidence in the bear walking the same path as the bobcat that made its way through the garden back in January?  Perhaps our yard is a well traveled path for wildlife, I'm just not always looking out the window at the right time to catch it.  As always happens in moments like these, I wish I had gotten a picture, but it all happened too fast.  Maybe next time.  In the meantime, I keep looking for another baby bear sighting.