Birdwatching became a lot of fun for us, especially as the boys were growing. We placed a few feeders on the edge of our patio and feasted our eyes and ears. A really neat and informative book about the birds of North America became well worn, as we observed seemingly new varieties each spring. That pleasure lasted from the early 1970's through the late 1990's.
Upon returning home from spring break in '97, our family was inundated with neighborly phone calls and visits, warning us to be careful when jogging or biking, as there had been a lot of bear sightings. "You mean you didn't SEE the bear near your yard?" asked Mr. B. "Well," continued he, "remember they are kings of the jungle around here and they are NOT as cute as they look." Shortly thereafter, this is what greeted me, as I gazed out our den slider very early one morning. This guy weighed about 150 pounds and would have been the previous year's cub, given the boot from the den to make room for new babies. Once on their own, these yearlings can be found foraging just about anywhere, as they grow....bigger....and bigger.
Sightings in our yard remained relatively few, until about two years ago......
Please visit Part II.
