A dozen bears, please!

The dogs and I have been taking leisurely evening strolls, enjoying the peacefulness of summer evenings. Robins, Tanagers, and Hermit Thrushes serenade us from the treetops as we hike in the cool evening air. I often stop to enjoy their songs while gazing at the sky.

K sat on a huge boulder overlooking our meadows with the evening sky behind her.

Meanwhile, in the animal kingdom, lots of action has been underway. Several deer visited this wildlife camera. I love the closeup view of the sun on this buck's velvet budding antlers.

Another bear has visited my cameras. This makes the twelfth distinct individual bear who has graced us with a visit. That's a lot of bears!

He arrived and sniffed a bear whammy tree that has been marked by other bears recently.

Then, he/she showed us his face. This bear looks very distinctive with a cinnamon body and streaks of dark fur on his/her face. What would be a good name for this bear?

The cinnamon bear walked onward without marking the tree and sniffed the next tree in line as while exiting the camera's field of view. Look how fat and shiny he/she is. Gorgeous.

Also, look at those claws! You can see the typical bear "pigeon-toed" walk, especially in the orientation of the bear's left front paw. That's a distinctive trait of bear tracks - their toes point inward.

I believe that this bear came past my cameras last year on June 28. On that date, he didn't mark any trees but sniffed trees marked by other bears, just as in this series of photos. He also visited the bear den on that date. I won't  be able to check the den cam anytime soon to see if he visited it this year. Bears search for prospective dens all year long, and, if my scent permeates that den now, they won't come back to sleep there for the winter.

Twelve different individual bears in front of my cameras so far this season. Amazing. I love my world!

I am having a really tough time with our internet connection. Please don't worry if I disappear for periods of time. When it gets really bad, I can't do anything on the internet. It may be time to try satellite internet even if it's reputed to be slow.