State: With bears roaming, time to take bird feeders down
With snow melting everywhere, bears are starting to emerge from their winter dens. (VTF&W Photo by Kris and Norm Senna)
As I look over the wildlife adventures we’ve had over the past two years, nothing compares with bear encounters. And I’m not talking about encounters I’ve had. It’s my wife who has been lucky enough to cross paths with multiple bears over the past two summers. If this happens during your next hike, she recommends remaining calm, and no, don’t run (more safety tips here). In fact, over this time, our ursine friends became such a part of the neighborhood that a neighbor of ours named one of the bears Ursula.
Cute as that might be (and I’m smiling as I write this), the folks at Vermont Fish and Wildlife are hoping Vermonters can help cut back on the number of times that bears wander into residential areas. To that end, they’re asking Vermonters to take down their bird feeders now — about two weeks earlier than usual.
With the spring thaw advancing, and reports of bear sightings starting to trickle in, wildlife officials hope this small request will make a difference, so that everyone can live together without too many frequent visits from the bears, whether walking near your home, or trying to take out the trash — which bears love to get their paws on. Hopefully less bird seed for bears means less of those other visits. Though for sure, we don’t mind seeing them once in a while - we do, after all, share a beautiful state together.
To see Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s full press release, keep on reading. And thanks!
— Gareth Henderson
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The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says warm spring weather and melting snows will cause bears to come out of their winter dens in search of food. The department recommends taking down bird feeders and keeping them stored until December, to avoid attracting bears.
“Although we typically recommend taking down bird feeders by April 1, we are asking Vermonters to take them down early this year,” said Jaclyn Comeau, the department’s bear biologist.
The department is already receiving bear reports as of March 7, and encourages Vermonters who experience a conflict with bears to submit a report through the Living with Black Bears web page. The warmer temperatures predicted now will stimulate more bears to emerge from their dens to seek any food sources they can smell.
“Preventing bears from having access to human-related foods, such as bird seed, is key to successful coexistence,” Comeau added.
Bird feeders are just one of the things that can attract hungry bears. Other sources of food that bears find appealing are garbage, open dumpsters, backyard chickens, pet food, barbecue grills, campsites with accessible food, and food waste.
“Purposely feeding a bear is not just bad for the bear,” said Comeau. “It is also dangerous for you, it causes problems for your neighbors, and it is illegal.”
The department offers the following tips to coexist with bears:
Take down birdfeeders between late March and December.
Store garbage in bear proof containers or structures—trash cans alone are not enough
Follow the steps on our web page for composting in bear country
Use electric fences to keep chickens and honeybees safe
Request a bear-proof dumpster from your waste hauler
Feed your pets indoors
Never feed bears, deliberately or accidentally
And for Vermonters who wish to connect with and appreciate songbirds after taking down their birdfeeders this spring, the department will be partnering with Audubon Vermont to highlight alternatives like the Native Plants for Birds Program.
“Birds and native plants co-evolved over millions of years together,” said Gwendolyn Causer, Audubon Vermont’s communication coordinator and environmental educator.
“Native plants provide essential food resources for birds year-round and also host protein-rich native butterfly and moth caterpillars, the number one food for songbird nestlings. And best of all, they do not attract bears.”
To help better understand peoples’ interactions with bears and inform measures for coexistence with this species, the department asks Vermonters to submit reports of bears engaging in potentially dangerous behavior like targeting bird feeders or garbage bins, feeding on crops or livestock, or investigating campgrounds or residential areas, through our website’s Living with Black Bears tab.
