That unbearable bear!!

Got to CMO to devastation. But I'm winning. The bear had pulled down and broken 5 of the 8 feeders I had up. Most problems I can fix, like a broken hanger. I make wire ones.

Repaired one on the right

But when he breaks off the perches, there's nothing I can do. I try to glue the loose ends back on but it usually doesn't last long.

Broken one on the right

I decided to hang feeders from the canopy that I know he can't reach. The birds don't like them there as much, but better than nothing. This time of year it doesn't matter that the canopy feeders are vulnerable to rain, wind, and sun. Not much wind or sun, and no rain. I'll probably take them down when I'm sure he's gone.

Of the 3 feeders that he didn't get (of the 8) one was in the back east wooded area that I had suspended from a rope high between two trees, and one at the west wooded area that I had hung high in a cypress tree way out on a limb that wasn't strong enough to support him. Then one in the hummingbird garden area that was an inch higher than one he did get down. Either he was saving it for later (he doesn't get them all at one time, even though he could), or he couldn't quite reach it. It had lots of wasps on it, so he probably managed to swing it. I raised it another inch. 

The reduction in feeders caused half my hummers to leave. The 3 Anna's are still around. One at each woods feeder and one in the courtyard at the house. But I had at least 3 Lucifers when I left here, and now I only saw one. And the Rufous I didn't see today either. The Anna's dominate their chosen feeders, so the Lucifers were relegated to the 5 feeders that were pulled down. The one Lucifer I did see today was doing his best to dodge the wasps on that high feeder left to him.

He climbed and broke a limb on one of the oak trees that I had flailed. I'm sure I had probably missed an acorn or two. And he totally trashed the back seed feeder. Two years ago he (or one like him) made the front one unusable. I think I can still use this back one.

I had a lid on the inserted can of seed, then over that a bigger heavier yellow lid. On that I had a big rock. Here's the inside lid. He pretty much turned it into a taco shell.

Gonna try leaving it off and just going with the big heavy lid and a bigger rock. Or not feed until he leaves.

Here's a Mexican Agapema (Agapema anona) silkmoth that my friend Tripp Davenport ID'd for me. My sister took the photo on her window screen a week or so ago. Wish I had seen and photographed it. Very beautiful. Would be a lifer for me.