The DEC recommends New Yorkers take down all bird feeders by today to prevent bears from roaming residential areas.

On average, a black bear must consume up to 15,000 to 20,000 calories a day, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Clocking in at roughly 12,000 calories, a typical bird feeder is a dangerously tempting treat — one that bird lovers should not dismiss.

The DEC recently released a statement advising New Yorkers to take down all bird feeders from April 1 through Nov. 30 and to take steps to ensure garbage and compost piles are safely contained. “At certain times of the year, bird feeders are involved in over 80 percent of the bear problems around homes,” the DEC stated.

This year, bird feeders are particularly vulnerable to bear activity due to poor natural food availability last fall. “Many black bears went into their dens with low fat reserves and as they begin to emerge from winter dens, have already begun seeking out food sources around homes,” the DEC stated. The DEC has already received several reports that bears are knocking down the feeders to eat the seed.

While bird seed may seem an unlikely choice, it is actually the ideal food source due to its high fat and protein content. The “fast food” source of the natural world, bird feeders are ubiquitous, and it takes less effort to obtain calories from them than to forage for natural foods, the DEC noted.

John Ruska of the Lake Erie Bird Club is familiar with the scenario. Although he has not seen bears at the bird feeders on his property, he said, “I’ve had friends of mine in the Hudson area who have had black bears come in and take down their feeders. In one case, it was a mama bear feeding her two cubs from it! Where I’m situated, there are black bears a mile away. But we haven’t experienced that (bears) yet. We’ve been dealing with raccoons!”

In Ruska’s experience, it all depends on the environment. “Down in the Kinzua area, a friend of mine had the same problem,” Ruska said. “He took down his feeders and put them in the garage, and the bears tore the garage door apart to get to the feeders.”

The intentional feeding of black bears is unlawful and prohibited in New York. However, the unintentional feeding of bears — via bird feeders, unsecured garbage or compost — is also unlawful after a written warning has been issued by the DEC.

While Ruska does not remove his feeders altogether, he explained that he puts them up at approximately 7 a.m. and takes them down by 7:30 p.m., before bears become active. “It’s more of a problem with raccoons, for us,” he explained. “They love to get into the feeders and tear them down.”

The DEC recommends homeowners use bird baths or colorful gardens to attract birds to their yards and to store all birdseed securely indoors. For those who insist on leaving their feeders outside, the DEC suggests electric fencing, which does not bother birds, but is a reliable way to discourage bears.

The overall goal of removing feeders is to break the pattern of black bears coming to homes for food. “Bears foraging in developed areas are significantly more likely to be hit by cars or shot illegally by people who mistakenly perceive a threat to their own safety,” the DEC stated.