Tweets:
Here's my two cents on the bear/cougar/birds discussion (I promise there are
birds!)

> > Bears are becoming more numerous in Washington
> > since hound hunting and baiting were abolished.

>snip

>When we went over to our daughters this last weekend.

>Two days before, a cougar came into their yard and killed their dog and four
>of the eight pups. ...

>Six miles down the road from our daughters home a man had to shoot a grizzly
>bear that was in the yard ...

Your message seems to have been cut off -- where did you say your daughter
lives? There are VERY few contemporary records of grizzlies in Washington,
although they are assumed to inhabit the remotest valleys of the North
Cascades and *possibly* NE Washington as well. Black bears, on the other
hand, are abundant and come in many colors, from blonde to cinnamon to brown
to black. There are many ways of telling the difference, the easiest being
to look at the snout. Black bears have a longish straight snout, while
grizzlies have an upturned, pushed-in look. Grizzlies also have a prominant
hump on their shoulders, although black bears can appear to have one when
their heads are down. There are also clear differences in tracks. Size and
color are NOT good indicators. I'd be really interested to know where this
bear was, and if it was really a grizzly!

>Is there a lack of food in the wild? Why are cougars coming into peoples yard?

Part of the problem is that humans are moving into their habitat, thus
decreasing their hunting ranges (as well as forcing a familiarity which in
this case most certainly breeds contempt, and disappearing pets and
occasional attacks...). As the human population steadily increases, we take
over living space from other species, which therefore must either learn to
live with us or decrease in numbers. We do fairly well coexisting with many
animals (rats, for example, or raccoons, juncos, chickadees, robins,
flickers...) but we have problems with the predators. This is true in all
parts of the world (you think having a cougar in your backyard is scary --
try a Siberian tiger!) Animals at the top of the food chain simply need a
large hunting territory, and when they don't have it, they get hungry. Of
course, as with all species, some of the youngsters simply don't make it for
whatever reason. It could very well be that your daughter's cougar was
simply sick or the runt of the litter or something.

>> How have those who have successfully bagged a cougar managed
>> to do it?

Someone put their finger on it -- it takes a lot of effort. You have to
track the animal instead of luring it hither. If you want to see bears and
cougars (or more likely be seen by cougars) go to Stehekin at the head of
Lake Chelan. Gorgeous country, and full of bears. I saw three there two
weeks ago, including a large brown mother with a small black cub, and when
the historic orchard is at its peak there are usually several hanging around
munching the apples. The local residents have no problems hunting bears and
cougars, by the way.

And Stehekin is also a wonderful place for birds! This summer I saw my
first goshawks there, sitting in a tree calling to one another. I also saw
my first grey-crowned rosy finches at the top of McGregor Mountain. What a
treat! My friend was terrified that I'd fall off the rather exposed ledge
on which we were standing, I was so intent on watching the birds. Lots of
other good birds there too, like grey catbirds and veerys and clark's
nutcrackers and woodpeckers of every description.

Enough for now -- I'll go back to lurking for awhile :)

Katie Sauter
Seattle