Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than Patch in my yard the other day, I had another surprise visit today.

Count ‘em! FIVE BABY BEAR CUBS! In my yard/driveway! Two weeks ago they were sighted by my neighbor Luke, and also had their photo on the front page of our local newspaper when they happened to visit the community down the road from us, but I never thought they’d show up in my driveway! Last week Luke and I trudged up one side of the mountain and back down the other in search of this family unit with no success. Go figure.

You have to agree that they are just totally adorable. They didn’t stop to visit so I had to be quick and shoot the photos through the upstairs window (with screen) so the images are not as clear and sharp as I’d like, but at least I managed to capture them.

Look how eensy the littlest one is! I don’t know how old they are exactly, but I’ve had puppies bigger than this at 8 weeks of age! My goodness!

“Wait for us momma! We’re trying hard to keep up with you!”

And oh, as for a name ... uhm ... how about Myrtle? (As in Fertile Myrtle.) Luke has already named the cubs “The Fantastic Five” which I thinks fits them extremely well. I don’t know how usual it is for a female to have five cubs, but here they are!

Very special! I would think five is very rare, but what do I know?
Thanks for sharing.

What absolutely fantastic photos.  How lucky you are being able to witness these beautiful animals I would just love to see them in the wild - not sure how brave I would be tho!

Holy crow!!!!!!
Five little ones. I had to look it up to see how common it was for a female to have five cubs. It is apparently rare unless she is in very good health. You may already know all this information however; this site has interesting facts, mainly specific to Canada.
http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=83

Has links at the bottom to other sites North American Bear Center—Black Bears

The littlest is tiny probably a female; do you think?

There are black bears in the woods behind my house however it is rare for them to come near people. There was a youngster (yearling) a few years ago that ran across the road, other than that I‘ve never seen them. You are lucky…

I’m just sitting here, grinning ear to ear! How special that you are going to get to watch those adorable babies grow up.  (I guess we get to watch them to from a slightly safer spot!)

I can’t wait to see them play around in the back, they sure love trees—and I learned a lot from the website your friend Paula gave ya. (thanks!)
Too bad there’ll be another bear hunt in a couple of years, there sure wouldn’t be if I had any say. Hunter Hunts sound like more fun anyway =] I don’t know how you could kill something, especially an animal—or a cute little black bear. It’s a shame the way some people are raised.
Nobody’s hurting our bears =] 
I wonder if Fertile Myrtle has plans for another batch in the future? Those cubs are lucky for such a good mom!
P.S—I’ve got that really pretty Robin’s egg in my room, although I would’ve preferred to see another Robin.

I still can’t get my mind around New Jersey having bears.
Or green places they can wander in.
Thanks for the education Lynne.
I love your photos!

YIKES! I cannot believe that. What awesome photos. I live in Essex County NJ, so I don’t see much wildlife at all, let alone bears. Let alone 5 bears! Thanks for sharing.

Glad you all enjoyed the bear family and wondered at the number of cubs, as did I. And yes, New Jersey has lots of wooded areas and plenty of GREEN to go around.

they are!  so adorable!  keep the pictures coming lynne!