One morning this week, Whitney Doucet awoke at home in Massachusetts feeling the chill of the winter seeping in. But behind the curtains of her window, she could tell that the sun outside was shining. So, she decided to let in some warming rays.
But upon pulling back those curtains, Doucet was treated to more than just sunlight.
“I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye across the pond [behind my house],” Doucet told The Dodo. “But it was darker than a normal shadow …”
Whitney Doucet
The shadow that Doucet thought she saw in the forest-lined border of the frozen pond was, in fact, a bear.
“To my surprise, it stepped onto the ice,” Doucet said. “It was so cool!”
The young bear, looking extra floofy in his thick coat of fur, ready for hibernation, then crossed the icy pond — at times a bit unsteady, but inspiring wonder and awe in Doucet. She stopped to enjoy the show.
“What a wonderful way to wake up,” Doucet said.
In the end, the bear made his way back into the woods. But living where she does, on the edge of the forest, Doucet has been lucky enough to see all sorts of wild creatures going to and fro — but to see a bear on the ice was a first.
And it didn’t disappoint.
“I love watching wildlife,” Doucet said. “It’s the best entertainment you can get.”
Whitney Doucet
Bears in Doucet’s region typically begin hibernating by mid-December, biologists say, so this may well have been her last chance to spot a bear this year. And in some ways, it was a dream come true to have had the chance.
“For the past 8 years [of living here], I wake up every day and look out the window, hoping to see something,” Doucet said. “So this was a long time coming — and perfect timing.”
