Anne nearly dropped her coffee when she looked out the living room window this morning and saw the bear in our front yard. By the time I could grab the camera, our furry visitor, Ursus americanus, was making his way back up Chestnut Ridge. The most recent census estimates there are between 3,500 and 4,500 black bears in Virginia, most of them west of the Blue Ridge. Judging from what I estimate to be a weight of 300 plus pounds, this is probably a male, since females only weigh between 100 and 200 pounds. Females range a 15-20 square mile area while males range 20-30 square miles and as far as 120.

Black bears are omnivores, that is, they feed on a variety of plants and animals. During the fall they prefer acorns and hickory nuts, both of which we have in abundance right now. They also feed on small animals. We have a couple of those as well. Research tells me that black bears are shy and don’t like confrontation. Let’s hope so; otherwise, it’s the game warden and heavy artillery time.