Back at CMO

The weather has been a bit brisk but I needed to come to the oasis and service feeders, etc. Happy that no bear has been back. But he's not far away. He went to the Lake Ament area, which is 3 miles to the south of the oasis. This posted by TP&W.

Howdy,

Texas Parks and Wildlife has received multiple confirmed reports of a male black bear in the Lake Ament Rd area of Terlingua Ranch. Several of the reports detailed that the bear was eating some form of "attractant" (dog food, corn/protein from a deer feeder, chicken feed, horse feed, etc). And although the bear has NOT displayed any aggressive/predatory behaviors, he has demonstrated that he may not fear humans or human structures as much as he should, which increases the potential for human-bear conflict.

Given the time of year and what we know about bear biology, we are confident that the bear is trying to consume as many calories as possible to fatten up as he prepares to hibernate and thus he is taking advantage of all the "easy" meals (attractants) he has access to around the ranch. Thus, it is imperative that the residents of Terlingua Ranch, particularly the Lake Ament Rd area, secure all attractants as soon as possible for your safety and the well-being of the bear.

We have also received requests to remove the bear from the area, however, this management action is a last resort action after all efforts have been made to secure attractants in the area and hazing actions (noise deterrents, less-lethal rounds, etc) have failed to convince the bear that humans are to be feared and human structures are NOT a place to get an easy meal. Furthermore, relocating a bear is often ineffective, as bears can travel great distances and may make their way back to the capture area in a week or two.

Please contact the TPWD Wildlife Office in Alpine or my cell (below) if you see a bear or to request a biologist to provide recommendations on how to best secure your attractants.

For your own personal safety and the bear's well-being, please secure your attractants as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Russell Martin
Wildlife Diversity Biologist
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Wildlife Division – Trans Pecos District
109 S. Cockrell
Alpine, TX 79830
Office: (432) 837-2051
Cell: (432) 244-9945
Russell.Martin@tpwd.texas.gov

On Nov 4th I saw a calypte hummingbird that I thought just might be a Costa's. I finally got a picture of it today and sent it to Kelly for ID. He confirmed that it is a Costa's. It has yet to visit a feeder. It just catches gnats in the mornings. Never could see gorget color on it. Will try to tomorrow.