In Ontario, Canada, bird watchers were in for a surprise while observing a colony of great blue herons.
While the great blue herons build colonies in the tops of trees, a hungry black bear decided to climb to one of the high nests for a snack. The birders snapped photos of the large bear standing in a surprisingly sturdy bird nest. The black bear appeared to be at least four or five stories from the ground as it stood amongst the birds.
“How do I report this on eBird?” Ken MacDonald jokingly shared on Facebook, referencing the bird sightings database.
In an interview with The Win Outdoors, Ken also noted that the bear climbed about “four or five stories” to reach the nest. While the black bear’s determination was impressive, the threat to the colony was also heartbreakingly clear. Ken explained:
“We couldn’t see chicks in the nest that the bear was sitting in but it did seem to be nosing down into the nest and feeding. The bear was also looking at the nest below and behind it, but it would have had to climb back down and then up another tree to get to that nest.”
Black bears are resourceful animals. For another impressive climb, check out the video below.