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— Photo by Marcia Scott

On Tuesday night, just before dark, says Guilderland resident Marcia Scott, “I happened to catch this youngster in my backyard. Actually it was directly behind me. I screamed so loud because I never expected to see this.” The bear retreated to the nearby woods before returning to the Scotts’ yard. “Bears can obtain all of the nourishment they need from the forest, but they are intelligent and opportunistic animals,” says the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. “They will find and consume the easiest food they can access.” The DEC has a page of tips for residents to avoid encounters with black bears; the most important is to remove food — from bird feeders to unwashed grills.