Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week “Bears” Noticing as a large black bear, peacefully, saunters through his beautiful domain.

Quite by chance and circumstance, I was able to photo document a portion of his journey, within beautiful Warren County!  That story, will follow this intro.  This photo should be serving as a bell-weather, announcing the arrival of Spring & ‘WARMER’ weather!!  The photo also signals, the awakening of hibernating Black Bears!!  NOTE: Spring, officially arrived in March! Spring’s warm weather is still no-where in sight!!  I sure hope the bears are sleeping in late this year, sure still looks like & feels like Winter to me!!!  OBSERVATION:  I still do not see many buds on the trees!  Closing my intro on a positive note, Ladies and Gentleman, Spring weather is coming and you will be seeing some Black Bears!!

Our photo of the Week was one of many photos in this bear’s journey and here is the rest of the story from my Email & Flickr archives.

Today was a carbon copy of yesterday – PERFECT WEATHER!!!  I went for breakfast and was heading back home to change into my hiking clothes!!  Where should I go??  Wonder what wildlife I’ll see??  Just turned into Youngs Island Rd. and then, I started to SCRAMBLE, —unzip the camera bag, —start the camera, —-check the settings and —roll down the window!!  It is a large bear out in the sod fields coming in my direction!!  I haven’t even started my hike and I am seeing wildlife – I really love this area!!!!

I took some photos and then decided to head back towards Alphano Rd., that has traffic and there is a curve which limits driver’s vision.  ( I don’t want any accidents )  I position myself on Alphano Rd. and sure enough, he begins to cross and then heads south on the road towards the curve!!  I blow the horn and he gets off the road and walks up the driveway going behind the house, still working his way south.  I now have my four-ways on and am following him south along Alphano Rd. – he is about 20 feet off the road in the brush.  ‘You gotta love it’, I have my four-ways on, I am flashing my headlights and pointing into the woods and people just go by, smile and wave back!!  I lose sight of him and decide to pull into my friends driveway and wait.  Here he comes walking south just alongside the northbound lanes of the road in the grass.  He is getting out into the road again and there are curves ahead of him and behind him.  I see a tandem dump truck that just rounded the curve coming north,  I backed partially into the road waving my arms – the trucker hit his brakes and the air horn and the bear leaped over the guard rail.  The last photo is the bear in a clearing across from the driveway where I was parked.  Lost track of him there and I assume (hope) he will head back across the fields into the wetlands and woods.

Obviously, I was not the only person and/or thing that thought “What a beautiful day for a leisurely stroll”

Please visit my Flickr site for photos – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157652465885174

Enjoy Your Open Space, Charlie Fineran