Bear sighting means...

...It must be Saskatoon Berry Season!
Last Sunday we took a bike ride west of us heading towards the river.  We were almost at our destination when a black bear cub rose up from the right hand side field ahead of us.  The cub quickly went down on all fours and scampered across the road into bushes and out of sight.
      Where there's a young bear, a protective and potentially dangerous mother is near by.  We knew it was safer to head back home.  But as we turned our bikes around, we saw others had seen the bear cub.  A group of horses was in the same field where we saw the bear but had been further away.  f .   Like well-trained soldiers, they quickly, methodically moved into a line along the field's parameter facing where the bear had disappeared.  Their formation was like a defense line, a warning to the bear and its mother not to return.
     As we cycled back, we encountered our neighbour where he'd been five minutes earlier: perched on his ATV watching one of the bird houses along a fence line of his property.  Our neighbour usually warns us of bear sightings.   This time, he told us this was the first bear sighting he'd heard about this year.  And we talked about the ripe Saskatoons around that may be luring the bears.
     As for his waiting beside the bird house, he'd seen a bird fly out that was neither a tree swallow or a blue bird.  He was waiting for the mystery bird to come back to identify it.  Will have to check in with him on what he discovered!

    My daughter and I headed out later to some bushes further away from the bear.  I brought along to attempt to scare off any bears and promptly lost noise makers in the bush.  No more bears   but certainly a teenaged Robin and Wax Wing enjoying the bounty. 
    The Saskatoons are the best in years -- big and juicy from plenty of rain and warm weather.  Getting a good Saskatoon crop has its challenges.  Sometimes a late frost kills the blossoms before berries can form.  Last year several hail storms took out blossoms and then later, any berries that had been able to form.
    Certainly a few Saskatoon pies to come!