A Stonebridge subdivision homeowner captured an unexpected visitor on his Ring camera early Wednesday morning.
Donald Alderman said he was reviewing footage from his security cameras, as he does each morning, when he discovered a bear had wandered through his yard around 4 a.m.
“I was reviewing my cameras like I do every morning and was shocked,” Alderman said. “It did destroy the bird feeders. At least he had a good meal.”
Alderman said he did not see the bear in person, only on the recorded footage.
According to Cyndi Hoffman, animal warden with the Newnan Police Department, bear sightings are common in Coweta County this time of year.
“It’s common this time of year,” Hoffman said. “Bears come through Coweta County every year. The more populated we get, the more phone calls we get.”
While many sightings occur overnight, Hoffman said bears are active during the day as well. She recently received video of a bear in the Iron Drive area behind Waffle House near Kroger at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Residents are encouraged to remove anything that might attract bears, including bird feeders, pet food and unsecured garbage.
“Keep anything that might entice them put away and closed up,” Hoffman said.
If residents encounter a bear, Hoffman said the best course of action is simple.
“Stay away. Leave them alone,” she said. “They’ll go away on their own.”
Hoffman said bears passing through neighborhoods are typically just moving through the area because Newnan and Coweta County do not provide stable habitat for them.