Hungry bear visits Glenburn home

Last week I asked readers to limber up their typing fingers and send along some great fish tales. At stake: A copy of John Ford’s second book, “This Cider Still Tastes Funny,” which I’ll send to a random lucky participant.

A black bear works on a bird house in Glenburn recently. Photo courtesy of Tim Schuck.

Well, this morning I received an email that doesn’t really fit the criteria, but is noteworthy nonetheless. Here’s what reader Tim Schuck had to say:

“I don’t have a fish story, but I do have a bunch of cool photos of this young bruin, who, it seems, has recently been booted out of the house!” Schuck wrote. “He’s been raiding my bird feeder in Glenburn the past few days, and in broad daylight.

A young black bear relaxes in Glenburn after enjoying a meal of bird seed. Photo courtesy of Tim Schuck.

“He comes at night, too. I have him on my trail cam, but these photos are from my kitchen window Tuesday evening,” he wrote. “We watched him devour the birdseed, lie on his back and scratch his belly, and wrestle with the birdhouse for 25 minutes. I’ve since scared him off and haven’t seen him since, but it was quite cool sharing his space for awhile.”

Thanks for the great photos, Tim. Keep us posted (with plenty more photos) if he returns.

And now a quick warning: The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says the best way to avoid unwanted interaction with bears is to remove all food sources from your property. That includes bird feeders.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.