In April and May we start looking for all of those “firsts” that are signs of spring. First robin, April 22. First hummingbird, April 24. First tulips blooming, May 8. First bear sighting, May 16. Dean was going to work Saturday morning when a bear ambled across the road not far from our place. Unperturbed by the car trying to get around him, he sat down in the road to enjoy a snack of roadkill bird. Dean edged closer, revved the engine, honked his horn, and finally the bear reluctantly left his free snack to let Dean get by.

You know you’ve lived in Montana awhile when you hear that and your first question is, “What color was the bear?”

Dean: “Cinnamon. Not too big, around 200 – 250 pounds I’d guess.”

Me: “Was it tall and skinny with a dark brown face and paws?”

Dean: “Nope.”

Me: “Doesn’t sound like the one that used to get into our hummingbird feeders. That was a cinnamon bear, but the face and paws were really dark. And the one that was hanging around here last year was black.”

When someone sees a bear, you want to figure out which bear. This one didn’t sound familiar so maybe it’s new to the area. By now I’m sure the local bears have warned him about the fearsome Woody. “Sometimes he’ll chase you, but sometimes he just stands there and looks at you like a goofball. So if you like raiding bird feeders, give it a shot.”