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Bobcat in the Woods
(2-image composite) |
I realized I'd worn the wrong shoes as I climbed the steep hillside to reach my new camera traps this morning. I decided to ride up to Mt. Tam in my old running shoes instead of my hiking shoes so my feet would be cooler, but those soft, slick soles were no match for the steep and slippery forest.
Nevertheless, despite having to swat at gnats and horse flies, it was good to be up on the mountain again. About two seconds after I thought it seemed like jackrabbit weather, a lithe brown hare loped lazily across the road in front of me. I saw another one when I was resting next to the picnic tables at Rock Spring.
I was standing in the shade of a large Doug fir when the second hare came into view. I watched as it moved closer to me while feeding, apparently oblivious of my presence. My FZ-80 was still in my bike bag as I watched, so I had to make a choice. I could remain still and see how close the rabbit would come, or I could go get the camera and hope the rabbit was in fact aware of my presence and had no intention of racing away. Or to put it another way, I could just enjoy the experience of quietly watching, or I could go for the photo.
I suspect that my choice failed the nature-karma test because I got the camera but missed the experience. The jackie was gone.
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| About six hours after the bobcat, a coyote passed through. |
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| You don't often see such many-tined antlers on the bucks of Mt. Tamalpais. |
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| Pretty sure this is the same buck a few days later. |
Here's a brief video capture of the big guy.
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| At first I thought this was a "nothing" frame. |
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| Hot times on Mt. Tamalpais. Barbecue season is over. |
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| On my way home through the Presidio I stopped to observe the antics of a young hawk who landed on a nearby pine. Apparently the top-most perch was a little too unsteady. |
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| Ah, that's better. |
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| Bird royalty. |
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