When Su Ribeiro and her husband saw one of their bird feeders on their lawn Monday morning, they knew something was up
“He said something took down the bird feeder,” said Su.
So they checked their surveillance video.
“There was the bear laying on the ground,” said Su.
It was a black bear that had wandered onto their property in Framingham around 10:30 Sunday night.
It made its way right for the bird feeder, bringing it to the ground and trying to get at the sunflower seeds.
“He was just hungry,” said Su. “You know he’s foraging around, looking for some food.”
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The bear dragged the bird feeder to the middle of the lawn, where he tried and tried to get the food.
But no luck.
“This bird feeder is one of those that you have to push down on to get the seeds out,” said Su. “And he wasn’t able to take the cover off.”
Eventually he made his way over to a window and peered inside the kitchen, and then tried to tackle a second bird feeder.
“Now that I know he actually had come all the way up to the kitchen window and played with that bird feeder I think I might take them in,” said Su.
Wildlife experts say this is the time of year when young male bears are heading out on their own looking for a place to live and to find food.
Bears in Massachusetts continue to make their way East each year.
This is the first report this season that a bear has been spotted inside the 495 corridor.
“The reasons that bears are coming around people’s houses and in their neighborhoods is to try to find food,” said Dave Wattles, state bear biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. “So bird feeds are basically a free snack that’s drawing bears to your backyard.
Wattles urges people to remove their bird feeders and secure their trash. He also recommends that people with beehives and backyard chicken coops get electric fences to help keep the bears away.
At the Ribeiro home, the bear spent about 40 minutes on the lawn making multiple attempts to get at the seeds before he finally took off.
The family wants neighbors to know he’s lurking because it could get dangerous.
“Just to be aware that there’s a very large bear walking around,” said Su.
Click here to find out more information about black bears in Massachusetts.
