Bears in My Back Yard!

I love wildlife. I really do. And I love seeing it close up. Well, most of it at least. But there are, of course, certain animals you don't want to get too close to. Bears are definitely near the top of the list there. 

Since we moved from the suburbs to a more rural part of Washington last fall I have seen a lot more wildlife. I've seen deer, coyote, and bobcat wandering right down our street and through our yard. But I had never even heard of a bear in the area. 

Well, surprise, surprise. Look what I woke up to right on my back patio the other day.

I still haven't actually seen the bear. But after Googling "bear scat" and consulting with some more knowledgeable rural folk, it's definitely been identified as black bear poo. 

OK, that's not a big deal, knowing there are bears in the area. There are a lot of wooded areas around here, after all. But the fact that this bear chose to do its thing on our brick patio, as you can see, is a bit unnerving. 

I had originally hoped it was either from a really big coyote, or a neighborhood dog. But after looking closely it was obvious the scat was full of berry seeds and fruit pits. I did some online research about black bears and their preferred diet this time of year is fruits and berries. Yikes! Definitely not a neighborhood dog. Oddly, despite the fact that bears are after fruits and berries this time of year, they did not bother our raspberries or Asian Pear trees.

Why this bear decided to wander into our yard, poop on our patio, but not bother our garden or fruit trees is beyond me. Perhaps it was telling me it was time to paint a bear. It's been a very long time since I painted a bear. And the last time I painted a bear it was a grizzly bear. I don't think I've ever painted a black bear. I guess it's time to appease the black bear gods! lol