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Friday, March 1, 2019

Nature and Feline Friday

It has been a real winter here in Colorado, unlike some of the mild winters that we've had in recent years. That means that many of our large mammals like elk and deer have moved to lower elevations where the snow is less deep so they can graze. When the elk and deer move, the mountain lions follow them. That means that we have far fewer large mammals appearing on my trail cameras.

The mammals who still appear frequently are coyotes, foxes (red and gray), rabbits, squirrels, and bobcats. Bears, of course, are asleep in their dens now. The den that I know about is empty - a very sad sight for me.

I love the bobcats because their behavior is so fascinating. I love seeing them check out spots that mountain lions have marked. My cams have captured some nice daytime video of them which I'm going to share here.

In the video, the first clip is from late last fall at a water trough that was out for wildlife. 2018 was an incredibly dry year, and our bobcats visited this trough very frequently. As you watch the first clip, keep your eye on the bobcat's tail. It is really cool how expressive it is.

The second clip is from deep in the forest at a site where mountain lions mark. People very rarely go there. As you watch that clip, see how carefully the bobcat examines the mountain lion scrape. Then, listen to the crows that go wild cawing because there is a predator present. The corvids (crows, magpies, jays) are the alarm system warning the prey species that a dangerous animal is around.

The third clip is from early January on a sunny day. It is from a site at the top of an expansive downward sloping meadow. The elk herd frequently grazes within view of this site. Mountain lions seem to watch the elk from the site and scent mark while they are there. This bobcat investigated a mountain lion scrape and then carefully sniffed an aspen tree before departing.

Here is the video... enjoy it!

Thanks to the LLB Gang for hosting the Nature Friday blog hop! And thanks to the bobcats for keeping me entertained while so many other animals are absent!

22 comments:

  1. that talking tail is amazing. your forest that surrounds you is so very beautiful as are the critters that inhabit them. as i watch the videos i like them most because the animals are free to roam and not locked in a zoo. once i was taking photos of the parrots, at Jungle Gardens. they put them outside under a big tent, for us to admire and talk to them. suddenly the sound of every parrot screaming and sqawking filled the air. I said to the zookeeper, what is wrong with them. she said back up and look up and you will see hawks circling, even thought the parrots can't see them, they know they are there. they are warning other birds there is death in the sky. she said parrots can be heard in the jungle up to 500 miles away.

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  2. The birdie alarm system is VERY loud and the bobcat does have a very expressive tail as he gets his drink.

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  3. we noticed the tail too... he looks a little like da Nelly LOL

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  4. It is amazing so see the big kitties doing their typical kitty things!

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  5. Those bobcats are so cute. We love watching his tail twitch back and forth. Around here we always know if a bird of prey is around our property when the crows start making a racket.

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  6. You live in a wonderful place. I love seeing the wildlife. These cats are awesome.

    Thank you for joining the Feline Friday Blog Hop.

    Have a purrfect Feline Friday and weekend. ♥

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  7. OMDs this is Nature Friday on Steroids!! Bravo bravo bravo.
    I love the Bobtail's....Bobtail. Love it wiggling and as he walked away I noticed the back of his front legs have a very similar pattern as his tail.
    #1 Nature Friday to me
    Hugs and happy weekend
    Cecilia

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  8. Hari om
    Outstanding as always. YAM xx

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  9. The Bobcats are amazing!! What great glimpses into nature you give us!
    KZK

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  10. Love the bobcat videos. We see them occasionally here and we very often hear the crows warning so loudly.

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  11. Our Ginger Boris does the same at the bird bath.Love the bobcats so much, and even a short tail can be so expressive.Guess the trough was near to a water supply with the hose there.

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  12. Way cool! Great video...thank you.

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  13. Its tail is very expressive. I suppose when you're a bobcat, you have to keep track of bigger animals...

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  14. We will watch for bobcats when we hear those noisy crows:) That tail is fascinating - almost looks like it is sniffing the air around him. Thanks for the fun video.

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  15. I do love the tail twitching...although short, it is just as agile as a long cat tail!

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  16. Tails can have a language of their own! Love the kitty video! In nose work, some dogs tails do something to tell the owner they are on the odor. Not us, but we have friends who can call alert by their dog's tail.

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  17. Oh that tail!!!! Ma thought mine was agile (I can move it like a snake sometimes!), butts that is pawsome!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  18. The little tail twitching back and forth is so cute!! :)
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  19. Us easterners love seeing your wildlife.

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  20. I love this video and that very expressive tail. It must be wonderful to see the wildlife up close.The most we get is badgers, deer and squirrels

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  21. We love your world KB,.. and all the magnificent wild life!
    love
    tweedles

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  22. Oh my gosh...who knew bobcats' tails twitched?!

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