How to be a Bear Smart bird feeder!

Spring in Lions Bay is a busy time for wildlife… around mid-March our migratory birds start returning and at the same time our bears emerge from their long winter hibernation.

Bears are seeking out nutritious high-calorie meals and bird seed and hummingbird feeders can be very enticing to them. So if you choose to have a bird feeder on your property, it is important to ensure you use Bear Smart practices. Here are suggestions to keep bird feeders out of reach of bears:

• Secure bird feeders 10ft above the ground and from any other access points, such as trees or your deck (Bears are agile climbers with a long reach!)

• Do not overfill your bird feeder, ensure seeds are not scattered on the ground under the feeder (Bears have a keen sense of smell)

• Consider alternatives to bird feeders, such as a bird bath, nesting boxes or Bird Friendly plants to attract birds to your yard (and not bears). Even if a bear cannot reach a bird feeder, the smell can be an attractant for them.

• If you’re unable to keep your feeders out of reach of bears, please consider taking them down for the summer.

As a reminder, if you see a bear, please report the sighting on the Lions Bay Bear Smart website.

And for information on how to keep feeder birds safe and healthy, read more here.

#bearsmart #birdfriendlycity