Monday, June 1, 2015

Florida's Black Bear Scenic Byway

We took a Sunday afternoon drive a couple of weeks ago and saw something a little out of the ordinary.


I guess you might expect to see bears when you are in this area but it was still a special treat for us.


Mama bear and her two cubs had ventured onto the road to take a look.


She decided they were better off in the woods they had come from and off they went.


A few more cars came along while we watched and everyone slowed to a stop.


Because it's not an 'every day' sight here in Florida!


(later in the day we saw an alligator but I'll save that for another post!)


I’m joining Beautiful Sunday and
Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday.

55 comments:

eileeninmd said...

I have heard about Florida's Black bears and that they need protection. Awesome sighting of the momma and cubs. Cool photos and mosaic. Enjoy your Monday and the week ahead!

Montanagirl said...

Awesome! Loved seeing the Black Bears. I just don't think of Florida and Bears going hand-in-hand! :)

Musings from Kim K. said...

Wow! That's totally unexpected. We'll be traveling to CO and WY this summer and look forward to some bear sightings.

Beca said...

What a sweet encounter. I would have stopped to watch too. You don't see that everyday. I didn't even know there were black bears in Florida. Interesting!
xx Beca

Diane said...

WOW! How neat!

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Wow Diane, you took such great shots of the bears! I hope you have a nice Monday! :0)

Vee said...

They look so cute that I always feel as if I could pet them. Ha! NOT a good idea. Glad that you got to see a rare sight.

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

What a amazing treat to see this sweet family! I haven't seen bears in a very long time. When I was a child we used to see them frequently in Yellowstone National Park and even on a occasional picnic.
Thank you for sharing and have a lovely week!
Warm Hugs,
Jemma

Anonymous said...

they look very healthy!!Mama has a great coat,, they must be eating well,

EG CameraGirl said...

Oh yes! This would be a treat for me to see too!

handmade by amalia said...

How utterly wonderful for you! I would have thought bears prefer cooler climates but I suppose they know best :-)
Amalia
xo

Linda @ A La Carte said...

We have bears here in Ga also!!

helen tilston said...

Hello Diane
How exciting that you spotted the bear and her cubs. This is a rare sitting, despite the sign. I can count on one hand the amount of times I have seen a bear in North America.
Have a wonderful week and I hope you are fully recovered.
Helen xx

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

What a thrill!

The Bear's Blog said...

Beautiful. As you know we have lots of bears up here, but I have not seen one, although 3 Sundays ago one walked through our uphill neighbors woods, but on the other side of us. We always let neighbors know when there is a sighting just to be safe.

Love the pictures, but you can keep the gators. (o:

Hugs

September Violets said...

How exciting to see the bear family!! I honestly didn't know there were black bears in Florida. Wow, bears AND alligators ... you better watch your step there Diane ;)
Wendy

Susan said...

Wowsers. That was quite a thrill for you guys. That Mama was no small bear! Amazing. Susan

Carla from The River said...

I love the beauty of Black Bears. We saw one Memorial Day! :-)

20 North Ora said...

How exciting! Once when we were in Florida, there was a huge alligator on the side of the road. I could not believe how many people were getting out of their car to take pictures!!

Judy

Anonymous said...

yes I sure recognize the black bears stride. I live in the area of black bears. They come around once in awhile and on the roads with cubs.

They are coming to any area now.

Seen On T.V I believe it was Florida.


Great takes.

Stacey said...

I think I would die and be in Heaven to see a bear in the wild!! Thanks for sharing these. :)

Cranberry Morning said...

Bears and alligators all in one day?! LOL We have black bears in our neighborhood, in fact one was in our maple tree taking a nap. BUT, happy to say no alligators have migrated north to Wisconsin. :-)) Have a wonderful day, friend.

Unknown said...

I haven't seen a bear in ages! Truley magnificant creatures! We had one here in our town last year. Where he came from we don't know. He had to be relocated. I mean really bear...what did you hope to find here in the city. Bear with bad navigational skills!
I loved looking at your pictures.

ClickNCamera said...

Black bears always remind me of our trips as a kid to Yellowstone National Park. These are great photos!

Linda Kay said...

Diane, what a treat to be able to get those photos of the bear and her cubs! I'll be that made your day.

sweetbriardreams said...

Wow, what a wonderful sight, but also quite scary too! You were so blessed to see the cubs xx

Trace4J said...

How wonderful.
Perfect timing.
Woolie Blessings to you Friend

Donna said...

Now that is outstanding...truly a wonderful sight to stop for! Have a wonderful week!

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

How exciting to see a Mama and her cubs! They are so beautiful! So thrilling to see! xo Karen

JG said...

Really great that you took photos, Diane! So interesting to see when you're in a car or in the house. I'm hoping not to see one in my town like nearby towns have seen. :)
~Judy

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

They are a magnificent animal and very much in need of protection, especially in Ontario where the spring hunt has been brought back.
Today there were a couple of black bears seen in a heavily populated town south of us which makes me think they're moving south in search of food.
A good capture for your mosaic this week Diane, thanks for linking it to Mosaic Monday.

acorn hollow said...

We should ship a few of our black bears down. We had one in our yard last night making all kinds of racket.
Cathy

SImple and Serene Living said...

Bears and alligators, oh my!!!! I always love seeing the babies. xo Laura

Sylvia said...

Dianne, The picture of the bears were terrific. I hope they live a long life. Sylvia D.

Shug said...

Oh wow....I had no idea that Florida had black bears! I figured it would be way to hot for them in your area. glad you were able to capture pictures of these beautiful animals....
glad you posted them...

Linda H said...

Wow, what an exciting sighting for you! Especially with the cubs! Lucky you!

Red Rose Alley said...

Oh my goodness, Diane, to see the black bear and her cubs - that must have been a sight! And just crossing the road out of nowhere. We have a restaurant here called "The Black Bear Diner." It's a charming place with pretty big portions.

Have a good week.

love, ~Sheri

Beth said...

Great photos, Diane! How neat to see the bears!

Red Rose Alley said...

ooops, I meant "Black Bear Diner." :~)

~Sheri

Debby said...

Oh what a treat. I have never seen a bear in the wild. I look constantly when we are in Colorado. Then you see them in Florida. I wouldn't expect that all.

cynthia lee designs said...

My best friend lives in Florida and she came home to a black bear sitting in her driveway. They left and came back in 20 minutes and it was still there...she left again for 30 minutes and it was finally gone when she went back home.
~Cindy

Carola Bartz said...

I've seen so many bears by now, but it has never stopped to be exciting! I'm always in awe when I see them.

Ana said...

Oh my goodness,
That is certainly something you don't see every day...especially around here...Maybe once in a long while I'll catch a glimps of a coyote but that's as wild as it gets :-) How exciting spotting a mamma bear and her cubs.

Hugs,
❤️Ana

Deb said...

Wonderful to see Momma and her cubs but glad she decided to take them back into the safety of the woods. Maybe they were going to a picnic?!

Hootin Anni said...

How extraordinary!!!!

BeachGypsy said...

that is just so neat!! right place and the right time! You got some great shots.........wow those bears are incredible! Those sweet little babies will be big grown up bears very quickly!

Joanne said...

Whenever we go camping they warn us about bearsin the area. We see lots of bear poop and sometimes bear prints but no bears....The one thing that we do see a lot of… Is snakes! Yuck. I love your pictures!
Blessings, Joanne

ann said...

Now who would think that you would see a bear in Florida? Just shows my ignorance of your home state, Diane. Great photos.

Pamela Gordon said...

Exciting to see that family of black bears along the highway. I'm glad they turned back and weren't in danger.

Lorrie said...

I had no ideas there were black bears in Florida! Alligators, yes, but bears? How fun to see this family!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Wow... Ad we thought We had to go to Alaska to see bears! Wonderful wildlife sighting. I've heard that they are endangered here.

Suzan said...

Ohhh my Diane!! My neck of the woods!!
I have a watercolor of the old Barberville store done by a local st. Augustine artist - Emmit Fritz!!
Also, the Pioneer settlement has the old Astor Bridge!!
Our cabin up on stilts was within sight of the Astor Bridge on the St. Johns!! We'd hold our breath every time a big barge from Sandford came through and the bridge would open. This was in the 60s, 70s & 80s.
We never saw the black bear on the roads, but usually when paddling our canoes back on the creeks that ran off into the st. Johns!! (Alexander) Spring Creek, Blue Creek and Cross Creek. Never understood why people would skinny dip in the creeks with all the snakes and gators!!
It was always a good laugh when we sat around at night on the river bank laughing about seeing 2 or 3 bears and a couple of human Bares!! (skinny dipping).

Unknown said...

How fun! Bears are getting pretty common around here but I've never seen one out in the road like that. Pretty neat!
Kim

Ricki Treleaven said...

Hello, Sweetie! Wow, I had no idea that there are black bears in Florida!!! And so close to the horse farms of Ocala. Do they ever attack the horses?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xo,
RJ

Linda Walker said...

hi Diane,
Guess I missed some posts! This is absolutely amazing! I love black bears! What a special treat indeed!
xo
Linda