As spring moves into summer, black bears emerge from their dens with big appetites. In many parts of the northeast, the acorn and beechnut production was down last fall. These nuts are favorite sources of protein for bears. So as the bear population increases, perhaps its not surprising that they seem to show up more and more often in our back yards. Unfortunately, young bears also can learn the habit of browsing at bird feeders from their mothers.
Wildlife biologists suggest taking down bird feeders when the snow melts.
Garbage should be kept in airtight containers. It's also a good idea to keep meat or other leftovers out of the compost pile when the weather warms up. Well, letting sleeping bears lie is good advice, too. Black bears are commonly said to hibernate, but their winter experience is quite different from that of many smaller animals. First, a bear's body does not undergo the drastic changes like that of the red squirrel - its temperature only drops about 9 degrees F below normal.