This morning I was awakened by one of my children that there was a black bear in the backyard. It was 5:30 and very low light.

Even with ISO 1600 I could only manage 1/15sec. Too bad about the bear rotating his head, but thought that it might be interesting to post anyway. The bird feeder is more than 12 inches across at the top. Big Black Bear.

Stephen

[daacon]

Woah - cool shot - are bears an issue ? I know some out here in the mountains they get one chance when they get into a popluated area (they are captured, tagged and returned to the mountains) second time they are usually put down, it might be two chances I don't remember.

[Wombat]

Crikey! We get plenty of kangaroos and wallabies at night, but none of them are as awesome as that beautiful beast. And our native bear, the koala, is only about the size of a bull terrier.
You did well in difficult conditions. One of those "shoot and be damned" moments.

[Eaglerapids]

Beautiful animal, man, he looks way to healthy to be raiding a bird feeder!

[bonovox]

our native bear, the koala.

I remember a song we used to sing at school:

I'm a koala not a bear
And I don't think it's fair
The way that people always add a word that isn't there
I'm a marsupial and proud of it
And there can be no doubt of it
I'm closer to a kangaroo than I am to a bear

So please dont call me a koala bear
Coz I'm not a bear at all
Please don't call me a koala bear
It's driving me up the wall
If your name was Tom
And everyone called you Dick
Perhaps you'd understand why I'm sick, sick, sick
I'm simply a koala
And I want the name to stick
So please don't call me a koala bear

[Wombat]

I remember a song we used to sing at school:

I'm a koala not a bear
And I don't think it's fair
The way that people always add a word that isn't there
I'm a marsupial and proud of it
And there can be no doubt of it
I'm closer to a kangaroo than I am to a bear

So please dont call me a koala bear
Coz I'm not a bear at all
Please don't call me a koala bear
It's driving me up the wall
If your name was Tom
And everyone called you Dick
Perhaps you'd understand why I'm sick, sick, sick
I'm simply a koala
And I want the name to stick
So please don't call me a koala bear

Love it! I don't suppose you happen to know where I could get hold of the music? I'm in a band and I'm sure the others would love it too.
(And point taken, by the way).

[bonovox]

The song is called "Please Don't Call Me A Koala Bear" by Don Spencer. Perhaps google that, and you might be able to find something! Here's a very short sample: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (SPENCER, DON): music: Chaos.com

Our bear is not the Koala, but the deadly, yet to be photographed "Drop Bear"!

[mel]

Ummmm where on the east coast exactly are you? Because now I'm wondering if I'm going to wake up one morning to find one in MY backyard. We live in a heavily wooded and sparsely populated area.

Great shot. Big scarey bear.

[Bramela]

I think that would be a very scary experience. No way would I be venturing out the door after dark. I found an Echidna (Spiny Anteater) in my back yard recently and had a Koala in my Mum-in-Laws yard. But that is about as scary as it gets for me.
Here's the little spikey fella, quite timid really ( sorry about photo quality he was in a real hurry to get under cover)) Haven't seen one before or since, around here.

[Buddha Jones]

This morning I was awakened by one of my children that there was a black bear in the backyard. It was 5:30 and very low light.

Even with ISO 1600 I could only manage 1/15sec. Too bad about the bear rotating his head, but thought that it might be interesting to post anyway. The bird feeder is more than 12 inches across at the top. Big Black Bear.

Stephen

And where on the East Coast are you? I hope that SC doesnt stand for South Carolina.

[NaClH2O]

Nice shot Stephen under difficult circumstances! One thing I don't have to worry about here in the Bronx, but every year you hear about a bunch in western NJ. When I was at forestry school up in the Adirondaks, about the onliest entertainment you could offer guests was to go to the local dump to watch the bears eat.

NaCl(that's a big bear to be wandering around, usually it's yearling males, they are usually smaller)H2O

[SCGushue]

Woah - cool shot - are bears an issue ? I know some out here in the mountains they get one chance when they get into a popluated area (they are captured, tagged and returned to the mountains) second time they are usually put down, it might be two chances I don't remember.

Dave, for the most part the bears are not too much of a problem here. This is only the third time I have seen one in the backyard, though evidence indicates it is far more often. This is a heavily wooded, rural area in NE PA where black bears are very common.

Crikey! We get plenty of kangaroos and wallabies at night, but none of them are as awesome as that beautiful beast. And our native bear, the koala, is only about the size of a bull terrier.
You did well in difficult conditions. One of those "shoot and be damned" moments.

Thank you. I agree, better a poor image than none at all in this situation.

Beautiful animal, man, he looks way to healthy to be raiding a bird feeder!

I agree with you on that issue too. It looks pretty damn robust for just coming out of hibernation within the past month or so.

Ummmm where on the east coast exactly are you? Because now I'm wondering if I'm going to wake up one morning to find one in MY backyard. We live in a heavily wooded and sparsely populated area.

Great shot. Big scarey bear.

Mel, I'm located in the mountains of NE Pennsylvania and there are lots of them here but they tend to be shy and reclusive. Nonetheless, it frosts my cookies that they keep ruining bird feeders.

I'm quite sure they are found in numbers by you too.

And where on the East Coast are you? I hope that SC doesnt stand for South Carolina.

No Jay,

SC is not South Carolina. I'm in Pennsylvania.


Stephen

[SCGushue]

I think that would be a very scary experience. No way would I be venturing out the door after dark. I found an Echidna (Spiny Anteater) in my back yard recently and had a Koala in my Mum-in-Laws yard. But that is about as scary as it gets for me.
Here's the little spikey fella, quite timid really ( sorry about photo quality he was in a real hurry to get under cover)) Haven't seen one before or since, around here.

Bruce, I hope to get down under some time because I sure would like to see the two egg laying mammals that are found there. I don't know how prevelant the echidna is but it is nice to see a forum member post it. Are the platypuses near you?

My wife worries all the time when I walk in the evenings. Sometimes when it is dark I must admit that here worries become a little contageous

Nice shot Stephen under difficult circumstances! One thing I don't have to worry about here in the Bronx, but every year you hear about a bunch in western NJ. When I was at forestry school up in the Adirondaks, about the onliest entertainment you could offer guests was to go to the local dump to watch the bears eat.

NaCl(that's a big bear to be wandering around, usually it's yearling males, they are usually smaller)H2O

Salty,
If I recall, when I was growing up in NYC, I remember an incident where a bear actually wandered into the Bronx or Mt Vernon. They killed the bear.

Black bears around a dump is more fun than grizzlies. When my wife and I travelled through really remote parts of Alberta some twenty years back, we would often be the only campers (tent) at some barbed wire campsites. It did not make for a comfortable nights sleep by any means knowing the barbs were to keep the grizzlies out of the site and garbage bins.

Stephen

[Wombat]

The song is called "Please Don't Call Me A Koala Bear" by Don Spencer. Perhaps google that, and you might be able to find something! Here's a very short sample: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (SPENCER, DON): music: Chaos.com

Our bear is not the Koala, but the deadly, yet to be photographed "Drop Bear"!

Thanks, mate. Some great songs on there - even one about a wombat. Now that's one I have to learn!

The song is called "Please Don't Call Me A Koala Bear" by Don Spencer. Perhaps google that, and you might be able to find something! Here's a very short sample: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (SPENCER, DON): music: Chaos.com

Our bear is not the Koala, but the deadly, yet to be photographed "Drop Bear"!

Is it same Don Spencer who sang the Fireball XL5 song?