The Beast of Hideaway Pond

It’s been sunny and warm around the pond for the last few days. Both we and the local critters have enjoyed the welcome change in Mother Nature’s mood swings. Chuck/Charlene, the resident woodchuck, continues his/her mysterious trips in and out of the space beneath the porch. Not sure what the attraction is down there. Maybe we don’t want to know. We posted a reward for anyone who dares risk finger and forearm to determine Chuck/Charlene’s gender. No takers.
The squirrels have been mostly AWOL from the usual spring critter social scene. Must be tending to their new broods. A couple of chipmunks, little larger than golf balls, have been frolicking around near the house. So it would seem that mom and dad chipmunk have been well ahead of the squirrels in their springtime dalliance. The birds–cardinals, phoebes, robins and their avian friends have been in a frenzy fetching various wriggling critters for their hungry offspring. Some wood thrushes and owls have been sounding off in the nearby woods. Turtles have been sunning on the lawn. And the fish have been fish. How boring.
All of this changed early this morning. Shari and I had no sooner settled down for breakfast on the porch when two bears charged by so fast that we couldn’t possibly lay a lens on them. They paid us no attention at all. Their total objective was apparently to get as far away as fast as they could from whatever it was (and I don’t want to meet it) that had inspired their speed. Which, by the way, was awesome. Never try to outrun a bear, whether its intentions are aggressive or amorous. Well, maybe amorous.

An addendum to the previous note: 
Since the bear scare, things have continued to liven up around the pond. For a few days, the irises were the noisiest things on the property. Three does have visited every evening at sunset. A young buck dropped by yesterday. In fact, they’ve arrived again as I type. A buck on one side of the pond and the does on the other. It’s encouraging to note that all were wearing their rust red spring garb. Be it noted that our critters are always among the most sartorially up to date in the Catskills. 
Two turkeys wandered by yesterday. A female and a male in that order. My discerning eye always on the lookout for vicarious joy, I noted that it looked like he was stalking her. Well, wouldn’t ya know, his tail flared out and they wandered together into a remote part of the yard. Your place or mine? Who cares? We had to avert our eyes. To our surprise, two mallards splashed down this afternoon. Apparently undeterred by, or perhaps because of, our growing reputation for wanton bird sex. 
We may be on the verge of solving the Chuck/Charlene sex mystery. He/she waddled out from under the porch this morning looking either very fat or very pregnant. Stay tuned.