Running Chick

House update! We are in our new place.  It’s a weird combination of awesome (so much space!) and ugh (so many projects). I sure am sick of having half-unpacked boxes hanging around and I’m still looking for items that I know I packed, yet cannot find and I swear, I keep on looking in the same boxes over & over again.

Living out in the country has it’s perks.  We have white-tailed deer visiting us regularly.  This guy (gal?) was just a little ways from our living room window.

And birds!  I put up four seed feeders and one hummingbird feeder and got lots of customers.

American goldfinch (female)

American goldfinch (male)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)

Indigo bunting (male)

Ruby-throated hummingbird (male)

Ruby-throated hummingbird (male)

Black-capped chickadee (male? female? not sure)

Then, we went outside one morning and all the feeders were knocked down and empty, including the hummingbird feeder.  We figured raccoons.

Then we found this:

And then a bit farther away, this:

And finally, telltale footprints in the volleyball court:

Bears!  We measured the prints and the biggest set is 6” across.  Apparently the bear paw width:length/size ratio is 1”:1’ so it’s possible the largest bear was 6’ long. Yikes.

They haven’t made a second visit, so maybe they were just passing through on their way to their summer cottage deep in the woods.  Far away from our house. Preferably in the next county over!