This weekend, one of my wildlife spies informed me of a great photo opportunity on a few bobcats feeding on a dead deer, so I loaded 6 children into the car and headed out. We found the spot easily, so we settled in to wait quietly. No small feat, with 6 children. About 10 minutes later, we saw the first movement in the brush. Then, after another 10 minutes, the cats slowly moved up to the edge to look out into the open. As they gradually worked their way out to the field where the deer carcass lay, the children watched, now really quiet and fully into the experience. We were snapping photos and recording video as the mother and kitten moved the deer around, worked to cover it with grass and dirt, and fed on the carcass. My daughter Angelica took the still photos, while I ran the video camera.
I was able to point out to the children the distinctive markings of the bobcat, like the black backs of the ears with white spots at the base, the short, black tipped tail, the ruff around the face with a dark stripe down each side, the pointed tufts of the ears, and the large dark patch under each front leg up near the top. It was also a great opportunity to tell them all about what made these awesome creatures unique and special, and how priveleged they were to enjoy this view. It gave them something really cool to brag about this week in school to their friends.
This truly was a wildlife spectacle, the once in a lifetime type of occurrence that happens everyday out in the Wilds. We watched the two for about another 20 minutes before we quietly snuck off. Later I found out that there were actually 3 kittens with the mother, but we only got to see the one. Oh well, we had an amazing time, and will have to try again later.
Well, I finally did it. The very first Nature Quest photo calendar is now available online for purchase. It features images from the scenery and wildlife of the Pennsylvania Wilds in places we frequent on Nature Quest trips. It’s hard to pick which images to include, there’s so much to show that’s beautiful. The main goal with this calendar is to provide images to spur people to think of the seasonal opportunities to enjoy in person. This is a very small part of the beauty that’s out there each and every day, constantly changing and different in each direction you look, and at whatever scale or magnification you look. Enjoy, and come join us.
