For Chuck Caldwell, spotting wildlife around his Union Hill neighborhood is not unusual.

From deer to coyotes to bobcats, he and his neighbors are used to seeing wildlife in their back yards.

And in the last few weeks, they have been had a few bigger visitors.

“We’ve had a lot of bear sightings,” Caldwell said.

Personally, Caldwell — who lives in unincorporated King County near Redmond — has had a few recent encounters with a black bear (or multiple bears) as it has gotten into his recycling in search of food. He said the bear he spotted was a young one, probably weighing about 120 pounds.

And while Caldwell’s bear was a juvenile, the same cannot be said about his neighbors’ encounters.

“My neighbors have seen more adults,” he said.

One of his neighbors (whose name is withheld for privacy reasons) spotted a bear around her home last month, describing it as the largest male bear she had ever seen. She said the bear was going through her garbage.

“He was gigantic and very well fed,” she said.

The neighbor was in her car at the time so she blasted her horn at the bear to scare him. She was able to enter her home through the garage and once she was safely inside, she said she took a bunch of empty soup cans and threw them on the cement in her back yard to make a lot of noise to scare away the bear.

For Caldwell and his neighbor, bear sightings around the neighborhood are not uncommon. But Caldwell said it seems like they have had more this year, especially for this time of year — bear sightings usually occur later in the year.

Michelle Dunlop, a spokesperson for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), said there are more bear sightings this time of year compared to other years because with the warmer weather bears are coming out of their winter hibernation earlier than usual.

“Usually they’re coming out in search of food,” she said about the bears who venture into residential areas.

So far this year, DFW has received about 300 reports of bear sightings from urban areas. Last year, Dunlop said, they received about 700 total. Up in the Union Hill area, she said, they think there are three bears, but pointed out that there are instances in which one bear could have been spotted multiple times.

She explained that with the bears coming out of hibernation earlier, there are fewer food sources available at the moment as berries and other vegetation they feed on are not ripe yet.

“(Black bears are) omnivores, but they do eat mostly vegetation,” Dunlop said.

Because their main food source is not available, Dunlop said, the bears go out seeking food elsewhere — namely people’s trash, pet food that has been left outside and bird feeders.

To stay safe and keep bears out of their neighborhoods, she advised residents to make sure their garbage is secure, their pet food stays inside and to take down any bird feeders they may have around the house.

Dunlop also offered advice for what people should do if they encounter a bear. She said if you are indoors and see one outside, you should remain in your home until the bear leaves.

If you are already outside, Dunlop said it is important to remain calm. Do not get any closer — give the bear plenty of room — but you should also stand up and wave so the bear knows you are there, she said.

“They’re scared of you,” Dunlop said.