Bill Leslie: Bears and bird feeders
Neighbors in my Cary neighborhood recently reported a coyote targeting a bird feeder in their backyard overnight. Just yesterday I spotted fresh coyote scat on a sidewalk near the home in Lochmere.
Posted — Updated
More and more it seems bird feeders are getting wrecked and removed in the pursuit of a meal by wildlife.
We have a cottage in the mountains and our neighbors just up the road lost three expensive bird feeders to bears this summer. The bears didn’t just eat and run. They took the feeders with them or “back to their den” as my neighbor put it!
Do the math and it makes sense. A black bear consumes about 15,000 calories a day. A typical bird feeder offers 12,000 calories. That’s easy work compared to roaming around in the woods all day looking for berries.
Environmental authorities in some states including New York recommend that residents remove bird feeders from April through November in bear country.
Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife officials have taken a stronger approach. They want all backyard bird feeders to come down. They argue the birds and bears can find food on their own and the feeders are just causing problems.
Related Topics
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
