Wild Cat Saturday

Here's why I was glad to see Bambi vigilantly looking over her shoulder the other night.

Look at that naked neck - no collar. Despite my scientific curiosity, I'm still cheering for our few lions without collars.

He/she hurried past the camera site.

... and disappeared into the night, in search of a meal, no doubt.

Nearby, the mother bobcat continued raising her kitten. The mother walked past a camera with no kitten in sight.

Almost out of sight of the camera, the mother sat and waited. You can see her black and white ears, sticking up like flags, to the far left of the photo.

After about 10 seconds of patient sitting and waiting, her kitten bounded into view toward those distinctive ears.

The pair continued on their way. When I saw this photo, I wondered if the kitten had started traveling with her mother full-time yet. Usually, after spending their early weeks hidden in dens, bobcat kittens start hunting with their mothers full-time.

But, then I captured a photo of a single bobcat walking nearby nearly a week later. At first, I thought that it might be the kitten until the next photo a mere 4 minutes later.

The bobcat passed the same camera walking in the opposite direction. Now, she had a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel firmly in her jaws. I was astounded at how fast she'd hunted down an afternoon meal.

She resolutely walked to the east, probably taking the meal to her kitten's current den.

Ground squirrels usually start hibernating in late September so they're fat and slow right now - perfect prey for a hungry bobcat mother and kitten. These squirrels seem to be a staple for this mother bobcat so hunting will become more difficult when they disappear underground for a long winter's sleep.

This mother bobcat seems to be doing great job raising her youngster. I hope that she can keep filling the kitten with food when times become tougher with advancing fall and winter. And, I hope that we can continue to follow the pair with photographs!