Night time visitor...

As the sayiing goes; Every day in the UP is a good day, especially in Silver City. And this holds true for many reasons. There is not one day that is exactly like another. As Lake Superior rolls the shoreline is in a constant state of change. The churning of the waters is continually depositing a new cache of treasure at its edge. The seasons are very defined and each one holds its own unique beauty. From the first buds of spring to the first snow of winter there is a beauty to behold. Summer is the most active time of year. The visitors are out hiking the hundreds of miles of trails in search of the roaring waterfalls and scenic vistas of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and the Ottawa National Forest. But the visitors come in many species. The newly born fawn are learning to navigate the forest and, oh yes, the black bear are out searching for their next meal. It is not everywhere you can walk down the side of the road and possibly pass a bear walking down the other side!

Bear love to eat! They love bird seed. This is why bird feeders are taken down and brought inside at night, the time the bears most frequently search for a midnight snack. How they find the feeders is still something of a mystery to me. But they also find the seed where you least expect.

Over the winter and spring we regularly feed the birds and the seed is kept in an outside storage trunk on the deck in front of our sliding glass door. As summer began and the birds found other sources for food and the bears were making their way out of their long slumber, we took down the bird feeders. However, we forgot all about the remaining seed in the storage trunk. Shortly after midnight a loud thunk sent us to look out the sliding glass door. At first we didn't see anything. Then we noticed the storage trunk, 4x2x2, was laying in the backyard and no longer on the deck! Upon further inspection over the railing, there he was, a 400-500 pound black bear not 20 feet from our door munching away on the forgoten seed! Can't believe it? As I said, every day in the UP is a good day, in this case it was a really good day for the bear!