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Friday, May 17, 2019

Feline and Nature Friday - The Forest is Thick with Mountain Lions

I trekked in complete solitude to check trail cams. Every camera I checked had mountain lion footage on it. Yes, *every cam* had lion activity. I am not usually a nervous person but I started looking over my shoulder frequently.

This post would be too long if I tried to include all of the lion footage so this post will include the highlights from one part of the forest.

This guy was out in the middle of the day, not too far from homes. I love the idea that animals this large are wandering peacefully among us in daylight with no one noticing.


Just like I was, he was looking over his shoulder! He was probably worried about humans seeing him.

Then, he showed up at a nearby site, stopping to evaluate the scene before stepping fully into the view of the camera. Look at the ragged upper edge of his left ear. I wonder what happened to it. Frostbite? An injury from another animal?

When he stepped into view he sniffed a branch in a handsome pose.
These photos are from a small area. Usually, a lion will stay in a small area only to stay with a carcass. However, Shyla did not alert me that there was a carcass nearby. I still feel sure that the lion had a kill stashed there. He triggered one camera 10 times in a couple of days, making me think that the cam was very near the carcass.

Meanwhile, very nearby, a bold bobcat left his mark by marking within a mountain lion scent mark.
In the opposite direction from home, another mountain lion was extraordinarily active and visible... but I will save that for another day.

You can watch my video of these ghost felines who pad through the forest silently and secretly.


18 comments:

  1. I took my eyes off the mountain lion long enough to fall in love with the TREE he is marking under. I love the low branches, what a beautiful tree. you are really much braver than I am.. I worry about the coyotes and carry a cane with me when I walk. I could not walk among these beautiful cats, my fear would not let me. even knowing they fear me. the cams are wonderful to see in safety...

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  2. What wonderful footage!

    I think I would be looking over my shoulder too, but it is nice to see so many big cats out and about!

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  3. Now that is a FELINE!!!
    OMCs and my nephew Kat and his parents had a bear on their deck at 5:30 last night.
    Hugs Cecilia

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  4. Oh wow, now that's a huge feline. Beautiful.

    Thank you for joining the Feline Friday Blog Hop.

    Have a purrfect Feline Friday and weekend. Scritches to the pups. ♥

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  5. And I thought I was brave *shudder *

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  6. I love seeing the mountain lion and the bobcat sneaking about in color. Their fur is just so beautiful!

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  7. Your first photo, almost like fairy wonderland, that colouring, amazing, and the bobcat, truly , my favourites,

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  8. Hope all those cats stay away from homes.

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  9. What beautiful cats they are and so lucky to live in the wild.

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  10. We always love seeing all the beautiful animals hidden from view but seen by your trail cams.

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  11. That sure is a great bunch of awesome felines!

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  12. Fantastic images! I don't quite know how I'd feel about that much activity close to where I walk or bike or live. I love big cats, and one of the aspects of being outdoors that I think is really amazing is the way we are so often close to wildlife without ever realizing it. And on the flip side, when I've been very still in the forest, I've had the experience of a bald eagle taking off and flying low right over my head, a moose walking silently past me downslope - if I hadn't already been looking right at the spot, I would not have seen him - and a big coyote stopping and having a good look around before continuing on his way. None of them saw me, as far as I know. It was kind of magical. But big cats frequenting an area close to human homes would make me worry that they might be taking more risks than usual due to lack of food, and that would make me worry for both them and myself. I know you'll take care, KB.

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  13. You are truly living in a place where there is harmony and balance and you're able to co-exist together peacefully. How wonderful.

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  14. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰😍 so glad the cats are on every camera.

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  15. We are sure you take good precautions, but those beautiful lions would make us very nervous:)

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  16. Praying they stay safe given that they are close to humans.

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  17. I'd sure be nervous out there! :)

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  18. You are so brave KB!
    love all these photos!
    love
    tweedles

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