When out on the trails in the mountains, even if birding. You must be ready to deal with bear encounters. For this encounter, it was about an hour into the morning. The birding was going well. With the warmer temperatures, the camera was in my hands, ready to take pictures at any opportunity. After watching for birds across a small pool of water, I decided to head into the nearby woods to see what I could hear or see. I was about ten meters from the woods when I heard a sound to the left of me. I looked in the direction, one of the local black bears was sitting on the edge of the woods. It seemed he was having a nap and my approach to the woods had awakened him. I backed up until he lowered his alert head and then lowered his head to his paws to get his remaining beauty sleep. This adult male has been collared and tagged by the Banff’s Parks Canada wildlife team to make sure he does not get into trouble. The collar is sending out a signal to the satellite, spaced out so the battery does not drain too fast. But the collar is also sending out a radio signal, helping the wildlife team locate him as needed. With me being out regularly, I have already seen him a few times this season. It’s best to stay calm during these encounters. With a bear spray next to me, the best option was to give him space until he stopped focusing on me and then for me to find a different route for my purpose.
