BROOKFIELD, CT — Are there a whole lot more black bear sightings in the area lately, or is it just you?

Or maybe they’ve just gotten more brazen in their efforts to raid those outdoor buffets we humans call bird feeders?

One recent hungry visitor did a full Nureyev while bellying up to the bar in a Brookfield backyard.

Patch reader Tina Heidrich took this photo and more from a vantage point at 2 Carmen Hill in Brookfield on Sept. 30.

In Ridgefield on Sept. 17, another feeder raider took a much more comfortable tactic for its poaching, but the Beaver Brook Road homeowners told the Ridgefield Press the bear left in a hurry once they began banging on the door to their sunroom (see video below).

After nearly a century of Teddy bears and ‘toons, Yogi and his cousins may seem cute and cuddly to many, but the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are reminding residents of the danger they represent.

Reports of bear sightings, even in heavily populated residential areas, have been on the rise, DEEP has posted on its website. The agency attributes the growth in their population in part due to the presence of easily-accessible food sources near homes and businesses. Last year, there were over 8,000 black bear sightings in the state.

Patch reader Tina Heidrich took this photo and more from a vantage point at 2 Carmen Hill in Brookfield on Sept. 30.

In Ridgefield on Sept. 17, another feeder raider took a much more comfortable tactic for its poaching, but the Beaver Brook Road homeowners told the Ridgefield Press the bear left in a hurry once they began banging on the door to their sunroom (see video below).

After nearly a century of Teddy bears and ‘toons, Yogi and his cousins may seem cute and cuddly to many, but the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are reminding residents of the danger they represent.

Reports of bear sightings, even in heavily populated residential areas, have been on the rise, DEEP has posted on its website. The agency attributes the growth in their population in part due to the presence of easily-accessible food sources near homes and businesses. Last year, there were over 8,000 black bear sightings in the state.