Black Bear Seen Eating From Bird Feeder At Darien, Conn., Home

DARIEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) – A family in Darien, Connecticut got a wild visitor in their home Thursday night, and they were wondering a night later how it got there.

As CBS2's Matt Kozar reported, officers found the approximately 2-year-old black bear around 8 p.m. Thursday on the back deck of a home on Partridge Lane.

The homeowner, Barbara Ivey, said she was sure the bear saw her watching through the window. But the bear seemed to be more interested in her bird seed.

The black bear punctured through the bird feeder with his teeth – more Winnie the Pooh than ferocious beast.

"And here it was, sitting on the deck with the bird feeder, spooning the food into its mouth," Ivey said.

The Darien Police Department posted several pictures of the bear on its Facebook page.

The sighting happened in a residential part of Darien – a town that is not known for bear sightings.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was called to the scene.

Ivey said the tranquilizer darts police used didn't slow the bear down. He sat there for some time enjoying his bird seed feast before climbing a tulip tree.

Then the bear made a great jump into the neighbor's yard – right over a picket fence. He knocked it down, and some of it broke off.

The approximately 100-pound bear ended up getting away.

Bears den from November through March. The DEEP said black bear sightings are on the rise, but sightings in Fairfield County are rare.

"Not a whole lot more than just deer, I think," one woman said.

Ivey believes her bear might have followed a nearby stream into her yard. From now on, she will be taking down her bird feeders at night.

And indeed, in order to keep bears away from residential areas, DEEP advises removing food that will attract the critters.

If you see a bear, report it to the Wildlife Division by calling (860) 675-8130.