NASHUA – Deanne and Doug Fortnam got home Sunday from a weekend trip to find an unexpected Memorial Day visitor.

The Nashua couple returned to their Cambridge Road home about 7 p.m. Sunday to find a bear roaming in its fenced-in backyard.

The black bear, which appears to have scaled the fence, roamed around the yard for about half an hour, sniffing at bird feeders before it left, according to Deanne Fortnam.

“It was quite a surprise,” she wrote in an email to The Telegraph. “We’ve been on garden tours for the last several years, but this is the most unusual visitor I’ve ever had in the gardens.”

Nashua police couldn’t be reached for comment Monday, but on Sunday evening, officers told the Fortnams they had received several reports of the bear in the south Nashua neighborhood.

They suggested the Fortnams take down the bird feeders and remain in their home until the bear left the premises.

“He was there about half an hour, just wandering around,” Deanne Fortnam said Monday. “Nobody was hurt, and thankfully there was no real damage. I was just hoping he didn’t do too much to my garden.”

So far this spring, bear sightings have been reported in Hollis and Merrimack, among other towns. To avoid conflict with bears, authorities urge residents to take down and store bird feeders during the spring and summer seasons, to store garbage indoors and to clean up outdoor grills after use.

For more information, visit www.wildlife.state.nh.us.