Had my latest wildlife adventure last Monday afternoon. Left work early (3 p.m.) because I hadn't slept well and really wanted to go home and take a nap. I didn't get far from work, I was on Rte 151 in North Hampton within sight of the I-95 overpass -- the coastal side of I-95.Just before Sagamore-Hampton Golf Course, there's mowed area about the size of a house lot on the right. As I drove past I noticed a good-sized black bear in the middle of the yard. It wasn't moving. I did a doubletake to see if it was a cast resin lawn ornament or something (big, though) -- it wasn't moving. By this time I'm past the yard    so I checked my rearview mirror -- and the bear was galumphing across the road!

Guess it was real! Glad I left work early or I wouldn't have seen it.

Curmudgeon's jealous and wants to know why I get to see all the bears. (Last one was a couple years ago when a young black bear tore across Rte. 125 in front of my car -- within sight of Lee Traffic Circle intersection of Rtes. 4 & 125 -- McDonald's, Wendy's, gas station/convenience stores, liquor store a biggish shopping plaza and a smaller strip mall -- and disappeared behind the Harley-Davidson shop.) You'd expect to see a bear in our "backyard" in Nottingham (we're on 33 acres of trees) or neighborhood, but nooooo, just in much higher populated areas.

A couple weeks ago I had a doe materialize in front of my car in between 151 and 33. Same "magical" time of day ( 5:20 PM) as my last close encounter with deer, but daylight this time. Anyway, I think she leaped out of the woods on the embankment on the right side of the road and landed right in front of me. No time to react, but the next thing I knew, I heard the clatter of her hooves and in nanoseconds she disappeared on the other side of the road. Lucked out and didn't hit her. The only thing that saved us both was the fact she was moving like a bat out of hell. I should have just shook with shock all the way home, but instead I shook my head -- did I see that? did it happen?!?

Wednesday on the way home it was a family of wild turkeys -- about 8 of 'em -- making their way across a yard towards the road. I checked the rearview mirror to make sure the two cars behind me stopped to let them cross -- they did.

Saw a summer tanager (I guess they're moving north) earlier this summer. And Friday saw more snowy egrets than I usually do.

The bear was pretty exciting, though -- especially since it didn't attempt to be roadkill!

Linn