Rare sighting: Hungry, determined bear climbs into bird's nest
Ken MacDonald spends a lot of time looking way up into the trees, watching birds.
But his binoculars captured something unexpected at a heron nesting ground in Severn Township on Tuesday: a black bear in a treetop heron's nest in search of lunch.
"This must have been one determined bear or one hungry bear because he climbed up four or five storeys up to the top of this tree and got in the nest," MacDonald says.
MacDonald says that in spring, a heronry, or area where herons nest, is typically noisy with bird chicks pleading for food. But with the bear nearby, there was only eerie quiet.
MacDonald watched the bear in amazement for an hour. Photos he's shared of the encounter online have picked up international attention.
"It's great to see a bear, especially one that doesn't run away right away. So we were quite excited about seeing it. Of course, you feel a little bad for the herons," MacDonald says.
Mike McIntosh, the founder and president of the Bear With Us Centre for Bears, who has been working with the animals for nearly 30 years, is impressed.
"It wouldn't be really common because it would take a very hungry bear to climb that high on a very spindly old tree. And then it has to be a small bear, a young bear that's not fully grown to be able to do that."
McIntosh says it was likely the bear's strong sense of smell that propelled the bear upward in search of food.
"It probably found out that (heron) eggs taste good and could smell the eggs way up on the top of those trees," McIntosh says.
He explains that in the spring, bears are typically living off some leftover body fat from the colder months, adding in some plants. But as the temperature rises, their diets shift.
"The grass is no longer edible, and neither are the leaves. So they get pretty hungry because they're just walking around with nothing to eat. And then they'll start looking for other things-grubs and insects. In this case, blue heron eggs."
McIntosh says bears will have a new food supply when berries ripen in about a month. Until then, he advises that homeowners put their bird feeders and food waste out of reach to help bears and humans co-exist peacefully.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Minister 'outraged' after AFN national chief's headdress taken from Air Canada cabin
The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.