On Labour Day and Tuesday we watched a Momma Bear and her two cubs eating grass at Penner’s Lot (the one where the dwelling burned down a couple of months ago.) They are eating grass because there isn’t much else for them.  There are no berries left except for the occasional highbush cranberry (which are being consumed this year, the first time that I’ve ever seen that).  So the berry-eating birdies and bears are competing for a very scarce resource.  This particular family was seen a few times eating grass and dandelions in the fields.  Finding some clover is a bonus.

Most of the times the doggies were sleeping in the truck.  When they arose to see the bears I was able to calm them so they watched the activity closely. Here are a few of the scenes:

Momma bear eating grass …

Cubs in a nearby tree.   The one on the right has seen me but the one of the left is continuing its sleep.

Cub appears out of weeds to join Momma.

Noisy motocycle scares little fellas.  Momma is nonplussed.

After a while, bear family decide to investigate DiMartin’s:

“Aha!  I see that bears are welcome here.”

“I wonder what that is.”

“It looks like a baseball game on TV.”

The following day, Tuesday I saw them again.

This cub tugged on and played with a charred tie giving it some “blackface.”

Nice luxuriant grass.  I wonder though, if it is sufficient to prepare them for the winter.

This is the lone highbush cranberry found nearby.  I suspect that it is gone now.

The late spring frost that struck this part of Ontario is having significant consequences.