A bear visits the homestead

Last night Hestia the dog charged outside to do battle with something.  Lots of barking and howling in the dark.  This happens sometimes, as Hestia protects us from various intruders, like foxes and possums.  But not last night.

Last night we were visited by a bear.

This morning I (Bryan) went out to check on the chickens and found part of the enclosure trampled down:

West side of the enclosure.

I suspected bear, but wasn't sure.  So I summoned Ceredwyn, who used her tracking skills to identify this print in the mud:  

Bears live across the lane from us.  They usually ignore us, but last night one must have thought our chickens looked extra-tasty.

The birds were fine.  The bear didn't get through their closed door, at least not before Hestia charged.  Good doggie.