One of the best parts of living next to the woods is the abundance of wildlife that visits our backyard. In the winter, we feed the birds, and during the summer, we keep a small birdbath so we can enjoy watching them from our dining room throughout the year. Mammals are frequent visitors as well. Along with the common guests such as chipmunks, gray squirrels, cottontail rabbits, and white-tailed deer, we have also seen raccoons, groundhogs, opossums, skunks, red foxes, coyotes, and even bobcats. There was one animal, however, that we had always hoped to see but never had the chance to encounter. Although, there had been occasional reports of sightings in the neighborhood, this elusive animal had managed to avoid our backyard, until recently. A few days ago, while we were having breakfast, Gabi suddenly shouted, “Bear! Bear! Bear!” Sure enough, a beautiful black bear (Ursus americanus) had wandered into our backyard. We immediately rushed to the window to get a better look. Then I grabbed my camera gear and headed outside in hopes of capturing a few photographs of the bear. When we first spotted her, she was sniffing around the bird-feeder stand. What she found interesting there remains a mystery, as we had stopped feeding the birds more than two months earlier. By the time I stepped outside, the bear had moved closer to my bird-photography platform and was taking a drink from the birdbath. She quickly noticed me, which was intentional, as I had no desire to surprise her by sneaking up unnoticed. I stopped about 25 to 30 feet away, and for a few moments we simply watched each other. I managed to take a few photos, though I was hoping to capture images of her in a more natural setting. Before long, she decided to continue on her way. As she headed toward the woods, she glanced back one last time, almost as if she wanted to make sure I had gotten the photograph I was after. Then she disappeared into the trees. The entire encounter lasted only a few minutes, but it was an unforgettable experience. Seeing a black bear in our backyard was something we had hoped for over the years. Until now, we had only spotted bears on our road trips, so we felt especially fortunate to finally witness one right in our own backyard. We can only hope she’ll pay us another visit someday. Maybe in slightly softer lighting conditions.

Gear: Canon EOS 5Ds camera, Canon 100-400mm lens at approximately 350mm