Showing posts with label wildcat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wildcat. Show all posts

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Bobcat among the branches, Tennessee Valley

Bobcat in stride, Tennessee Valley - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

When this bobcat decided to go off trail for a bit, it made the photography a little more challenging, since it was wandering through an area with a lot of dead vegetation. But I stayed patient and waiting for the moments that its head was in a clearing to try to get an unobstructed view of its eyes. It's amazing how much of the clutter in an image your mind will ignore if you can get contact with a clean set of eyes.

Lynx rufus among the branches - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

It was cruising along when it heard something in the undergrowth. It just happened to stop right in a clear line of sight for me, and even gave me a glance before continuing its walk.

Focused bobcat - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bobcat in the bushes, Tennessee Valley

Three shots from our weekend encounter with this lovely bobcat in Tennessee Valley. After finishing its meal and strolling down the trail for a bit, the bobcat decided to take a break in the bushes just off of the trail. There were a lot of branches around, but thankfully it picked a spot where I could shoot over the coyote brush to get an unobstructed view of its face.

Wild cat eye contact

They are such beautiful animals, and they seem to carry themselves as if they know it. This one looked quite regal, even with its eyes closed.

Bobcat at rest - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

The cat was eventually brought out of its restful trance by a small white dog following its master down the trail. The shot below is of it eyeing up the dog as it passed -- we were able to watch it turn its head to follow the progress of the fluffy canine. I'm not even sure that the owner knew there was a cat in the bushes, but you could tell that the cat was contemplating if it was worth taking a run at it.

Bobcat stare - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

Monday, February 21, 2011

My wife's first bobcat encounter, Tennessee Valley

Bobcat in Tennessee Valley - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

After many hikes in the Bay Area looking for bobcats, my wife finally had her first encounter yesterday! I've been fortunate to see them on a handful of occasions, but only ever on trips that I had taken alone (including a brief view of one in Point Reyes National Seashore on Saturday). My wife has really wanted to see one, and she finally got her chance in Tennessee Valley. We had a fantastic encounter, including watching it finish eating a rodent then take a pounce at another, as well as cleaning itself after the meal and wandering through the brush. A nice first experience for sure! Strangely enough, her first sight of one in the wild came on the 1st anniversary of my first bobcat sighting. Since she was quite excited about seeing this beautiful cat, I let her pick which image I should post first. She thought this one was funny with the cat sticking its tongue out at us :)