Squirrels, and Doves, and Bears--Oh My!!!

I remember when I lived in Peachtree City and the deer would come right up to my office window and Laura & Katie called me Snow White.  Well, I;m beginning to feel a bit Snow Whitish again with all the colorful birds coming to the feeders at my kitchen window.

Today we even had a pair of doves visit.  I hope they return often.  We have a little menace of a squirrel who finds every way possible to attack the feeders and basically empty them quickly with his voracious appetite for sunflower seeds.  We have moved the feeders over and over trying to thwart him, but he has found a way every time.  But this evening, we found him sitting on the edge of the porch under the feeders with his little paws on his heart, just sitting there for the longest time, I imagine strategizing new ways of attack.  He looked so sweet that I felt sorry for him.  But he does keep the birds away when he is around & I don't want that.

We heard yesterday of the visitors to our next door neighbors house--a huge Black Bear and her 2 two-year old cubs!!!   The neighbor heard some noise and went to her window where she saw a HUGE BLACK X shape right in the window.  The mother bear was on her back legs with her hands on the gutter and eating from her birdfeeders!  The neighbor said that the bears face was only 18 inches from hers!  She tapped on the window and the mother bear and her almost-as-big-as-her cubs ran away.  She said they had destroyed everything on her porch, including her baker's rack.  They also visited the 2nd storey deck of another neighbor on up the mountain, destroying everything on it, too.

I mean, I knew we lived in the mountains, but to have bears coming up to the windows?  I never expected that.  I think it's kind of cool, though.  I wish I could get a picture of them.  If I do, you can be sure I will post it here.  But it will be from a protected place.  Meeting a bear in the dark is not my idea of fun.