Golden
Golden - This past week I had the most amazing encounter with a subadult female Bobcat. I have been seeing Bobcats very often for the past 6 months but I haven't gotten a good encounter. After about 3 hours of hiking, I peered into a ditch and locked eyes with this gorgeous cat. We both startled each other and I immediately backed off and dropped flat on my belly. I typically do this with Bobcats that I am not familiar with to reduce how threatening I appear.
After about 10 minutes of waiting she cautiously approached and lay down about 25 feet from me. A male Anna's hummingbird proceeded to mob her and in a stunning display of agility she almost batted him out of the air, too quickly for me to capture on camera (he barely escaped). I took several images of her lying down and then she disappeared into the trees again. I was reviewing my images and suddenly noticed her pop up on a fallen log just 10 feet away. Almost on cue, the clouds parted right at sunset and she was hit with the most beautiful ray of dying golden/pink light. I had to lie down on a trail under a branch and shoot vertically handheld with the heavy 10.5 lb setup for a clear angle. Fortunately, the VR and my improved handholding technique helped.
This cat is probably one of the most beautiful cats I have seen, as she already was very rusty orange - the evening hour just seemed to make her glow. As it got darker, she started yawning and becoming more active/playful. By observing the cat's dentition, size, and demeanor I assume she is approximately 10 months old. At this point I had been lying still for almost 45 minutes. The cat became so comfortable and playful she overcame that initial fear started approaching my lens hood and sniffed it. I have been close to a couple Bobcats over the years but have never had such a close encounter.
It was tempting to take an iphone video of that moment but any movement on my part at that distance would have startled her and startling a wild animal is never a good idea. It also can be incredibly tempting to make physical contact with a wild animal in such moments but keeping wild animals wild is my number one priority. At this moment I took some frame filling portraits before it got too dark and I backed away. After a final glance of curiosity, she began stalking rodents in the brush and disappeared from view.
These are the magic moments us wildlife photographers live for. During this hour long encounter, everything disappeared. There were no people, no roads, no responsibilities just this Bobcat and myself - locking eyes and sharing a once in a lifetime moment. I looked for her in subsequent days to no avail. Truly a special moment with a totally wild animal that was not baited in anyway.
Species: Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR, Handheld
Settings: 1/200s, ISO: 1400, f/5.6, +0.3 EV @500mm
Golden
Golden - This past week I had the most amazing encounter with a subadult female Bobcat. I have been seeing Bobcats very often for the past 6 months but I haven't gotten a good encounter. After about 3 hours of hiking, I peered into a ditch and locked eyes with this gorgeous cat. We both startled each other and I immediately backed off and dropped flat on my belly. I typically do this with Bobcats that I am not familiar with to reduce how threatening I appear.
After about 10 minutes of waiting she cautiously approached and lay down about 25 feet from me. A male Anna's hummingbird proceeded to mob her and in a stunning display of agility she almost batted him out of the air, too quickly for me to capture on camera (he barely escaped). I took several images of her lying down and then she disappeared into the trees again. I was reviewing my images and suddenly noticed her pop up on a fallen log just 10 feet away. Almost on cue, the clouds parted right at sunset and she was hit with the most beautiful ray of dying golden/pink light. I had to lie down on a trail under a branch and shoot vertically handheld with the heavy 10.5 lb setup for a clear angle. Fortunately, the VR and my improved handholding technique helped.
This cat is probably one of the most beautiful cats I have seen, as she already was very rusty orange - the evening hour just seemed to make her glow. As it got darker, she started yawning and becoming more active/playful. By observing the cat's dentition, size, and demeanor I assume she is approximately 10 months old. At this point I had been lying still for almost 45 minutes. The cat became so comfortable and playful she overcame that initial fear started approaching my lens hood and sniffed it. I have been close to a couple Bobcats over the years but have never had such a close encounter.
It was tempting to take an iphone video of that moment but any movement on my part at that distance would have startled her and startling a wild animal is never a good idea. It also can be incredibly tempting to make physical contact with a wild animal in such moments but keeping wild animals wild is my number one priority. At this moment I took some frame filling portraits before it got too dark and I backed away. After a final glance of curiosity, she began stalking rodents in the brush and disappeared from view.
These are the magic moments us wildlife photographers live for. During this hour long encounter, everything disappeared. There were no people, no roads, no responsibilities just this Bobcat and myself - locking eyes and sharing a once in a lifetime moment. I looked for her in subsequent days to no avail. Truly a special moment with a totally wild animal that was not baited in anyway.
Species: Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Location: Northern California, CA, USA
Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR, Handheld
Settings: 1/200s, ISO: 1400, f/5.6, +0.3 EV @500mm