Bear Spotted Tuesday on Seneca Road in Great Falls

Fairfax County Animal Control was notified Tuesday of a bear on Seneca Road in Great Falls, according to a posting by Del. Barbara Comstock.

Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell told WUSA last month after another bear sighting in McLean that it's not unusual to see bears in Fairfax County this time of year. She says they are young bears looking for food and moving great distances.   

Fairfax County says it's not their policy to remove bears unless they are sick or injured, or a posing a public threat.     

The Washington Post offered these tips after several black bears were spotted in early June:

• Do not store trash on porches, decks or in vehicles.
• Take garbage to the curbside on the morning of pickup rather than the night before.
• If a bear is sighted in your neighborhood, remove bird feeders and outdoor pet food.
• If you spot a bear that seems to pose a threat to public safety, call animal control.

Last month, a bear was spotted in the backyard of a McLean home in the 1300 block of Summerwood Court.

Around 3 p.m., Diane Landry said she was upstairs in her home when she thought she spotted a black dog in her backyard. She went downstairs to check it out and saw nothing. 

When she went back upstairs she looked on her deck and there was a bear hanging from her bird feeder.

“I didn’t expect to see a bear in my backyard,” she said. “When I came back upstairs it was on the deck hanging on the bird feeder.”

• See: What you should do if you see a black bear in your yard. 

Landry said the bear returned after she took the birdfeeder down; she shooed it away and it jumped a fence and disappeared.

Anyone who sees the bear is asked to call Animal Control at 703-691-2131. 

See accompanying video "Living with Black Bears in Virginia."