Rosyfinch Ramblings
Virtual New Mexican, who winters in Florida and migrates annually to Illinois, remembers growing up, birding and practicing in New Jersey, and finds birds and beauty close to home.
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01/02/09
Another Bobcat!
Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 2:36 pm

This Green Heron was hunting anoles on our patio just as it was getting dark:

Greenie1 on Patio

It was quite displeased with me, and tried to scare me away by puffing up its feathers:

Greenie3 on Patio

This morning, we had chores to do, and I did not start my visit to our local birding “patch” until about 10:00 AM. It was not very birdy, but just about 200 yards into the 2-track utility path along the 198th Avenue Canal, I looked back and saw what looked like a scrawny little feral house cat. Only two days ago I had seen a much larger cat, about a half mile from that spot, and it turned out to be a Bobcat.

Looking through my 10x binoculars, I could hardly make out any details, but I took three photos anyway. About 5 minutes later, the cat crossed the the road, a bit nearer. I did not bother to use the binoculars, but quickly took one more photo before it disappeared. Only after looking at the fourth photo at home did I identify it as another Bobcat.

This Bobcat was less than half as tall as the one I saw only two days earlier, but I got a much better photo:

Bobcat 20090102

This year I saw the first alligators there after four years of exploring, and the Cottonmouths and herons appear to be well-fed. It is encouraging to see that this small area of restored Everglades is supporting life all the way up the food chain.  

A Common Ground-Dove, usually very shy, finally gave me a decent shot:

Common Ground-Dove 20090102

In this blow-up, note the rather prominent eye-ring on this individual, something I had not noticed before, and the field guides do not emphasize:

Common Ground-Dove Close-up 20090102

Butterflies were numerous. This is a Julia Heliconian:

Julia 20090102

A Gulf Fritillary:

Gulf Fritillary 20090102

2 Responses to “Another Bobcat!”

  1. Mary Carlson Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:43 pm Hi Ken. I saw you left a comment on Bird Photography Weekly. That green heron is amusing with its puffed up feathers. I really like your photos of the ground dove, too. I’ve never seen one before. Ahh! - the advantages of living in Florida - look at all the flora and fauna around you, even during fall and winter months. BTW, I visited Sandia Crest back in November while on vacation and got a few photos of a few rosy finches. Nothing to brag about, but I did post them if you are interested. I know how you feel about being a “virtual New Mexican.” I guess that’s what I am when I’m not visiting New Mexico. ;o)
  2. Red Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:15 pm That’s amazing that a Little Green Heron is a “backyard bird” in your area. Very nice pics :)

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