A Day at Point Reyes National Seashore

I went out to Point Reyes recently.  My friend Jeff joined me.  We hoped to find some owls and bluebirds to photograph.  We found this adult great horned owl and its mate and three young which we had seen before.  No luck with bluebirds.

Canon 500mm f/4, Canon 1.4 TC, Canon 7D

After a couple of hours Jeff decided to head back to his home in Inverness.  I decided to drive up to Pierce Point.  I saw some big bull elk there, but they were in a canyon and getting any decent photos of them would have involved a long, steep hike.  Not today.  I checked for bluebirds at that end, but didn’t see any.  I saw a couple of red-tailed hawks getting harassed by some ravens, but decided not to try for them.  I also saw signs of badger activity, but no badgers.

Driving back I saw something that looked like it might be a bobcat.  It was lying in some tall, light-colored vegetation.  I stopped.  It was about 40 yards away on the passenger side of the truck and almost completely obstructed by vegetation.  I was going to have to get out of the truck with my lens and tripod.  I slowly and quietly got out and set up my tripod and lens.  Fortunately, the bobcat hadn’t moved.  This wasn’t going to work.  There was too much vegetation between us for a decent photo.

Canon 500mm f/4, Canon 1.4 TC, Canon 7D.

The bobcat didn’t seem too anxious to move.  I decided to wait him or her out.  I checked my gear and found I only had 11 exposures left on the card.   Glad I caught that.  After about 20 or 30 minutes the bobcat decided it was time to go.  It headed north parallel to the road and I quickly lost sight of it in the tall grass and brush.  I walked up the road and saw it had stopped behind a bush.   I waited for it to move and this time it took a step or two and then continued north.  This is the best image I got.

Canon 500mm f/4, Canon 1.4 TC, Canon 7D

Foiled by vegetation (again).   This is the fourth time I’ve photographed a bobcat in west Marin and each time has been frustrating.  They are beautiful animals.  Hopefully, some day I will get a good photo of one.  Look at how muscular its upper back and shoulders are.  They also have very long and muscular hind legs which is not so noticeable until you get a clear view of one sitting.

As I’ve said before in this blog, Yellowstone is my favorite place to photograph wildlife.  However, it’s nice to have places like Point Reyes nearby.