Felidae

Bobcats

Listed in reverse chronological order… the first video of the pregnant bobcat (06.01.18) is at the bottom. Current videos are at the top.

I never get tired of bobcats.


Large, mature bobcat. Counting spots, pretty sure the cameras filmed him courting a female a few months ago. I love how he moves up the trail.


A recent resident in the canyon. Check out his dark color. The wild life cameras started filming him/her patrolling the trail multiple times a day a couple of weeks ago.


It’s spring…


Turn up your sound. I’m pretty sure this video shows the mum bobcat letting her kittens know they aren’t welcome anymore–it’s time for them to disperse. Towards the middle of the video she vocalizes a deep growl. The kittens chase after her chirping. At the end of the vid, she growls again. Does the mum look pregnant to you?


One of the kittens, now an adolescent, chasing a skunk. I’m not sure why he’s chasing the skunk–there has to be a reason.


Look familiar? This is one of the kittens, now an adolescent, the cameras has been filming since the siblings were a couple of months old. The spot patterns on the front legs identify the individual. I hope the two siblings learned their survival lessons well.


Male bobcat, most likely the father of the kittens we’ve been monitoring since August 2018. It’s been about two weeks since the cameras have filmed the kittens together. We have seen the smallest of the kittens, but not the larger one.


We’ve been filming the bobcat family–the mother, kittens and one adult male since August 2018, but have never filmed this mature bobcat. Most likely, the female is in estrus and has attracted a new suitor.


It’s like mom is saying… come on, hurry up! What’s taking so long? We’re going to be late for the matinee!


The male bobcat has been filmed hanging out more with the adult female and the kittens. He probably is the father of the kittens. Most likely, the mom has started to go into estrus. Most likely, the kittens will have to disperse soon–usually they are around 10 months or so when evicted. If my calculations are right, these two are about 8 months old.


The kittens continue to mature. Although the cameras are filming them frequently patrolling the trail without their mom, they still will sometimes accompany her.


Pretty sure this is the father of the kittens. He’s the only male bobcat the cameras have filmed. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as the kittens mature and spend more time away from their mom, he’s seems to be hanging around more. Check out the top left corner of the video towards the end, he is spraying–marking his territory.


The two bobcat siblings we’ve been watching for the last 5-6 months are spending more time away from their mom. It’s so fun to watch them develop. Although they’re becoming more independent, they stick together in their mom’s home range. They’re still too young to disperse. Look how big they’ve gotten! They’re so cute—the smaller one still lags behind.


A sweet way to end 2018. The two maturing bobcat kittens continue to learn survival skills. Play is an important learning tool, helping to teach and hone hunting techniques as well as developing coordination and social skills. In a few months they will be ready to live on their own.


We’ve been watching these kittens for about 5 months–in a couple of months or so mum will evict them.


Noise impacts wildlife. In addition to adjusting to a shrinking habitat and people traipsing the trails, sensitive ears need to become accustomed to loud noises. If you listen carefully, you will hear mom chirping to her kittens to follow her.


Watch how mom uses her tail to communicate to her kittens that they should follow her. Check out the color of the underside of her tail–it’s white, easy for the kittens to see. Usually this tail signal is accompanied by a sharp chirping.


The bobcat kittens are finally hunting on their own… no help from mum. Note how they don’t share.


We’re not sure what kind of animal the bobcat has caught. Looks like a mink or a weasel, but probably isn’t. Could likely be a ferret–an escaped pet. Ferrets are illegal to have as pets in California.


Feeding a growing family.


Our cameras have been fortunate to watch these kittens grow from infants to adolescents. This is one of the first videos we have of the little family. Originally there were three–but only two have survived.


Could this be the father of the kittens? He’s the only male we’ve caught on the 3 cameras. I count the spots and stripes on the inside of his legs.


Could this bobcat be the soon to be mother of the kittens we’ve been following from infancy to adolescence? The timing is right.


Mountain Lions

A mountain lion was captured on 3 of the cameras last week.



It looks like he’s recently had a good meal.


The cameras first filmed this mountain lion in March of 2018.