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Bears at the Bird Feeder
It’s best to take down bird feeders when bears are active.
In bear country, food left outside or uncovered trash cans can become irresistible targets for bears looking for a quick snack. But even if you’ve put away any human food, don’t forget about bird feeders. Bears are omnivores and won’t hesitate to grab a bird seed snack. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recommends that people take down bird feeders between April 1st and November 30th, when black bears are most active. During the winter, the bears return to their winter dens and bird feeding can resume.
BirdNote®
Bears at the Bird Feeder
Written by Conor Gearin
This is BirdNote.
[American Black Bear growl]
In bear country, food left outside or uncovered trash cans can become irresistible targets for bears looking for a quick snack. But even if you’ve put away any human food, don’t forget about bird feeders.
[American Goldfinch calls]
Bears are omnivores that eat a wide variety of food. Berries, insects, and roots form a large part of the American Black Bear’s diet, and a few pawfuls of birdseed would be a perfect addition to the menu.
[American Black Bear panting]
That means that if you live among bears, you should only have bird feeders out for part of the year. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recommends that people take down bird feeders between April 1st and November 30th, when black bears are most active.
And don’t worry about the birds going hungry — birds have abundant sources of food in the warmer months when insects are plentiful, so they’re more appreciative of a bird feeder in the winter, anyway. At that point, the bears return to their dens, and the feeders can go back up.
[American Goldfinch calls]
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
Support for BirdNote is provided by Jim and Birte Falconer from Seattle, Washington, and generous listeners around the world.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. American Goldfinch ML 225079721 recorded by Andrew Spencer.
American Black Bear panting sound from the MSU Acoustic Atlas. Recorded by Jeff Rice/Montana State University.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote November 2022
Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# bears-01-2022-11-16 bears-01
References:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/94709.html
Conor Gearin
Writer
Michael Stein
NarratorRelated Field Notes
This blog is the first in a series about the ways that members of the BirdNote comm