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Bobcat #8 I guess I found the right place to go for bobcats! This one wasn&#039;t quite as permissive as the last one (this is cropped to about 25% of the original frame), but I saw it down another road as I crossed an intersection, so I squeezed my brakes really hard and (literally) screeched to a halt. (I need to adjust that brake again. . . .) I figured it would be gone by the time I grabbed my camera and sneaked back, but no, there it was still! It seemed much more interested in something I think it could smell that was in the opposite direction.<br /> <br /> Now I suppose I need to see kittens. Bobcat,Geotagged,Lynx rufus,Spring,United States Click/tap to enlarge

Bobcat #8

I guess I found the right place to go for bobcats! This one wasn't quite as permissive as the last one (this is cropped to about 25% of the original frame), but I saw it down another road as I crossed an intersection, so I squeezed my brakes really hard and (literally) screeched to a halt. (I need to adjust that brake again. . . .) I figured it would be gone by the time I grabbed my camera and sneaked back, but no, there it was still! It seemed much more interested in something I think it could smell that was in the opposite direction.

Now I suppose I need to see kittens.

    comments (5)

  1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Love the photo and it becomes even better with the story part of it, I can feel the excitement of the spotting. I'm going to challenge you for a next bobcat shot: all natural scene, without a path.

    Do with it as you please, of course :)     Posted 10 years ago
    1. View Meryl Green's profile
      Meryl Green
      Grizzly Bear
      View Grizzly Bear class
      That would be awesome :). I hate the paths being in so many of my photos. But I'm still trying to figure out how to do that. (Maybe I just don't know what to search for, but there's a distinct lack of information about finding bobcats that doesn't involve baiting, calling, or snow. Right now I'm relying mostly on luck and past experience, and making things up as I go along!) It's going to be difficult (though not impossible) in this particular place because you have to stay on the paths because of the residual pesticides.
      -----
      I still don't like the look of them, but it is important to remember that the paths are an important part of these cats' story. The majority of this property is made up of marshes and canals to filter the water and capture nutrients from this lake. It was partially drained in order to farm it because the lake mud was very nutrient rich, at least at first. When it wasn't any more lots of fertilizers were added. (I'd guess the pesticides were in use the whole time.) Then of course the lake ecosystem turned into a real mess.

      The water level in the marshes is managed so some areas will be dry based on the season, and of course not everything is marsh, and the cats aren't afraid of the water, but the cats use the paths extensively (as do many other animals) and there are places where they obviously use the paths as territory boundaries. I have mapped 160 bobcat scats in the last two months, and though there are scats in all of the publicly accessible areas, most of them are concentrated in three (linear) areas. (Someone really wanted to make a point and left one on top of a large ant mound once!)       Posted 10 years ago, modified 10 years ago
      1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
        Ferdy Christant
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Perhaps I should rephrase, I did not intend to suggest that a photo with a path on it makes the spotting itself any less valuable. Almost all parks have paths and besides occasional danger, they also have value for the wildlife itself. So keeping it real and true to the actual habitat, which includes paths, is perhaps a good way to go. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression about that :) Posted 10 years ago
        1. View Meryl Green's profile
          Meryl Green
          Grizzly Bear
          View Grizzly Bear class
          Ha ha, sorry :) I took it how you meant it. This is a new insight for me, I put some things I've known for a while together, and this seemed the appropriate time/place to say it :P (And writing it down means I'm more likely to remember it the next time I'm thinking "I wish this (organism) was a few feet further left/right")

          (Plus this property has an interesting history, considering how well it seems to have recovered so far, with a lot of effort: http://www.sjrwmd.com/lakeapopka/restoration.html)           Posted 10 years ago
      3. View Barry's profile
        Barry
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Count yourself fortunate, I have never seen a bobcat outside of a zoo and would be overjoyed to see one on a path, porch, steps - wherever! Posted 8 years ago

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The Bobcat

The bobcat is a medium-sized North American cat that first appeared during the Irvingtonian stage around 1.8 million years ago. Containing two recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to central Mexico, including most of the contiguous United States.

Info 15 0
Similar species: Carnivorans
Species identified by Meryl Green
View Meryl Green's profile

By Meryl Green

All rights reserved
Uploaded Apr 2, 2015. Captured Apr 1, 2015 10:38 in Lake Apopka Loop Trail, Mount Dora, FL 32757, USA.
country flag of United States of America Explore United States of America 39,925 9,640 8
  • Canon EOS REBEL T3
  • f/5.6
  • 1/1250s
  • ISO200
  • 250mm