Category: Bobcat

You Can Make a Difference

Future conservationists learning about the eco system

Can we make a difference? Faced with the serious and urgent threat of global climate change, it may seem that there is little that we can do to stop the trajectory of Earth into a bleak future. Although it may seem impossible for us as individuals to reverse this destructive trend, each of us can […]

Summer Time Wildlife Dramas

Young bobcat family

Wildlife dramas continue to unfold in the canyon1. They are nature’s equivalent of reality TV and old-time soap operas. My trail cameras document them all—wild animals living day-to-day while being impacted by urbanization. Some of the videos are sweet, filled with new life while others record the realities of living with natural and human-made dangers. […]

Summertime Brings Changes to the Canyon Wildlife

Three trail cameras continue to film wildlife and human activity in an undeveloped 88-acre canyon. This canyon is ideal for observing wildlife responses to  changes—it’s surrounded on all sides by businesses, roads and homes. For more than three years the cams have recorded how the suburban canyon wildlife reacts to the pressures of urbanization and […]

Where are the Wild Animals?

Comparison of off leash dogs 2019-2021

Not too long ago the trails in the little canyon in San Mateo County, California were rich with a wide diversity of wild animals including animal species that are designated as California Species of Concern*. Until recently, the trail cameras filmed lots of animal action—a large number used to patrol, mark and play on and […]

Wildlife Highlights from the Canyon

Vulture

Life and Death in the Canyon Despite the canyon being only 93 acres, hemmed in by homes and roads, it’s a complete eco-system where plants and animals are interdependent. The death of one organism means many others will live. The lesson hit home a couple of weeks ago when a small deer was killed by […]

September Videos and Pictures

Mountain lion

There seems to be less wildlife in the canyon this month. It could be a natural cycle or it might be caused by destruction that is occurring in part of the habitat. Mountain lion This large male puma is a regular visitor to the canyon–he shows up about every two to three months. This time […]

August, a Visual Essay

Bobcat on his way to the creek

The trail cameras do a great job of documenting the seasonal changes. It’s hot and water is becoming scarcer. August wasn’t as active in the wildlife department as in previous months, but we did film some bobs, Coyote 09M and deer. Along with the reduction in predators, the cameras have only caught a couple of […]

The Bobcat Kittens Grow Up

Young bobcat kitten

It’s hard to describe the anticipation I felt last summer as we waited for the wildlife cameras to finally catch glimpses of adorable bobcat kittens trailing closely behind their mum. We knew that we would soon see them because a couple of months before the cameras had recorded a resident bobcat going through stages of […]

Bobcats and Feral Cats on Patrol

“Cats are cats” was the response from my zoologist friend as we compared how bobcats and feral cats select, patrol and live in their ranges. Thanks to our trail cameras we have hundreds of 20 second videos to watch—superb vignettes of the resident bobcats on patrol in the canyon. Like all felids, bobcats and feral […]

Predators Scent Mark a Popular Spot on the Trail

Predators including bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes who don’t want to share resources as well as those who do, are adept at communicating their intentions through scent marking—to their own as well as other species. And often, they scent mark on top of each other’s mark. It’s not always in the best interests for predators […]