“Such an awesome sight!”
On a quiet Wednesday morning in Paxton, Massachusetts, Monique Sheary was sipping her coffee and enjoying the calm when an unexpected — and rather large — visitor appeared on her front porch.
“I had opened my front door, so just the glass door was there,” Sheary told The Dodo. “All of a sudden, I see this bear walk up the front steps of my porch.”
The bear didn’t waste any time making himself at home. Standing up on his hind legs, he looked for a moment as if he might knock on the door — but that wasn’t his mission. Instead, he had his sights set on something much sweeter.
Sheary had two hummingbird feeders hanging outside, and the bear had clearly decided it was snack time.
“[He] gently started to drink from one of the feeders, then made his way to the other one,” Sheary said. “Such an awesome sight!”
For about five minutes, the curious bear helped himself to the sugary nectar, calmly enjoying his treat as Sheary watched in amazement from just behind the glass.
Before heading off, the bear seemed to glance back through the window — his expression almost like a satisfied smile — as if to say thank you for the refreshments.
Remarkably, this isn’t the first time Sheary has hosted a bear at her feeders. She explained that it happens about once a year, during the seasons when local bears are most active.
“That’s when I know it’s time to take the [bird feeders] down,” she said. “We’re not purposely trying to attract bears. We’re trying to feed birds.”
Still, she doesn’t mind the surprise visits — even if they come with a bit of property damage.
“They’ve broken a few bird feeders before, but we’re OK with that,” Sheary said. “I absolutely am in awe of bears, and I’m happy to coexist with them.”