OT we had a visitor today

[NHUSA]

My wife though he was beautiful and talked with him thru the door.

[Wayne Sheldon]

I have never seen one in my yard. But they leave a "calling card" often enough that I know they do visit occasionally. The first ten years in this place, they tipped over our garbage cans I think twice. Then one of our neighbors moved out and new people moved in. Danged city folk. They kept putting attractive stuff in their garbage and the Bears decided to start tipping over other garbage cans just to check them out. The past three years my garbage can has been dumped about a dozen times, in spite of the nasty stuff I put in to discourage the bears.

Great pictures! Thank you for sharing them.

[TRDxB2]

Wonder if all those bird feeders, spent seeds on the ground too, are attracting the big fellow?

[Wayne Sheldon]

We have a bird feeder on a steel pole in our yard, and yes, the bears do like them. The pole started off a light piece of conduit about seven feet above the ground. A bear (presumably) bent the thing into an upside-down "U". The wife wanted her bird feeder fixed right away, so I quickly scrounged something a bit heavier. That too was turned into a "U". So, now, there is a piece of two inch water pipe filled with concrete. (We used to use concrete filled pipes for communications tower anchor posts because the concrete prevents the pipe from collapsing which it must do in order to bend.) About six years now, that bird feeder is still there!
Bird seed does attract bears. I don't keep the feeders over full, so most of what the birds drop to the ground gets cleaned up by other birds.

[NHUSA]

He tried to get to the feeders but couldn't.
The squirrels can and scream at us if they get empty.
by the way - the woodpeckers must have a sweet tooth/beak because they love the sugar water we put out for the hummingbirds...

[Burger in Spokane]

Do not confuse these Danger Dogs with domestic canines.

[Duey_C]

I'm awful glad the very rare bear that worked his way south thru the woods here only grunted at us and didn't stop in.
My friend from just south said later "He's in my freezer." when I got in touch.

[Scott_Conger]

Fairly large Griz came through our reservoir before irrigation season a month ago (that's a quarter for comparison):

I though someone had trespassed as they went straight across the long dimension of the reservoir, parallel to the irrigation ditch.

[Scott_Conger]

Reflecting on it, it was probably a medium size critter. Would love to have seen it...from a distance!

[Ruxstel24]

A couple days ago my neighbors chickens were in my backyard and my pit Petey was outside. Before I realized, he was herding them on home Way too quick for a picture.
I figured he won a chicken dinner, but he just sent them squawking away and stopped by the house, before the front yard where he's not allowed.
He's a good boy !

We live out a little with a couple acres.
My wife never thought I could teach him to stay in the yard. Took a few years, but he learned.
12 years old now and I hardly even watch him.

[Ruxstel24]

Another too quick for a photo...
On the other side of my driveway this evening, was momma and 4-5 baby skunks walking into the bramble !! Looked like one big black and white ball of fur moving along, cute as could be...at a safe distance !!

Gonna have to keep an eye on Petey.