Montgomery County is in the peak season for young bears to strike out on their own, which has led to sightings of black bears on the streets, at a church, and area parks.

Ken D'Loughy of the Maryland Department of National Resources told Montgomery Community Media that residents reported a black bear on Rainbow Arch Drive in Clarksburg Tuesday. The DNR also received reports of a bear sighting at Greenridge Baptist Church. D'Loughy says he believes this is the same black bear spotted earlier in Damascus and Germantown. On Monday, a black bear was spotted running alongside a fence at Ridge Road Recreational Park.

SEE ALSO: Another Bear Sighting Makes Waves Throughout Montgomery Just last week, a black bear was spotted on Observation Drive in Germantown. In Damascus, Montgomery County Police say residents have reported numerous sightings of a black bear at and around Oak Ridge Park last month.

The now-famous Poolesville Bear sighting on Old Oaks Estate in Beallsville led to Internet fame in the form of a popular Facebook parody account. Black bear sightings are most common in Montgomery County in June and July when young, solitary bears – frequently young males -- travel considerable distances in search of a suitable home range to call their own, says Montgomery Parks. Most of the young bears settle in western Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.

Tips to avoid bears: