Jim Coda Nature Photography

March 12, 2017May 1, 2018Bobcat

Bobcats; Comparing Point Reyes National Seashore and Yellowstone National Park

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore — A bobcat moves through grass hunting for gophers at Point Reyes National Seashore.

I go to Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) often. It’s rare that I go and not see at least one bobcat. I also spend a month or so almost every year in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Yet, I’ve never seen a bobcat there in spite of the fact that they do exist. I’ve often wondered why.

According to my most recent copy (2013) of the annual “Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook,” bobcat numbers in Yellowstone are “unknown, but generally widespread.” It says their habitat is in rocky areas and conifer forests. It goes on to say that they are rarely seen, with most reported sightings being in rocky areas and near rivers. I’ve seen a few online photos of them along the Madison River in winter. Given the lack of stated population numbers, I assume they haven’t been studied much in Yellowstone, if at all. I’m not aware of any bobcat study in PRNS either. I assume PRNS doesn’t know how many bobcats there are in PRNS, let alone what their habitat preferences are.

In any event, why do I see bobcats regularly in PRNS and never in YNP? I can only speculate. My best guess is that it has to do with where the bobcat finds itself in the predator pecking order in each place. In YNP the bobcat has to worry about grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes and mountain lions. In PRNS it’s just coyotes and a very, very few mountain lions. This may cause them to stick to the forests and other good cover in YNP without the same pressure to do so in PRNS. If so, this reminds me of what I found last spring photographing pumas (aka mountain lions) in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park (TDPNP) and adjacent private land. There are no bears or wolves in TDPNP. There is a coyote-like predator there called the culpeo, but coyote-sized animals are no threat to a mountain lion. While mountain lions in YNP stay in good cover, in TDPNP they feel no need to hide. I saw 18 pumas in a week in TDPNP and all of them were in open areas – like the bobcats in PRNS.

April 25, 2012May 26, 2018Landscape

Views from Inverness, California

I went out to Point Reyes yesterday, something I haven’t been doing too much of this year compared to last year. The forecast said there would be fog, but thankfully it was a no-show. Moreover, the light was fantastic thanks to lots of clouds varying from almost pure white to very dark. The sun shined through in spots on occasion. I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife; just the usual ho-hum critters (quail, songbirds, hawks, elk and deer) plus one coyote just before sunset. I had lunch with a friend who said he saw four bobcats before our lunch. Another friend told me he saw two badgers there yesterday. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m losing my touch in spotting wildlife because I haven’t been spending much time looking for them this year.

I was feeling uneasy all day because I only brought my wildlife gear and I sensed there would be some good landscape opportunities at sunset given the good light and the clouds. Shooting landscape photos with telephoto lenses is, needless to say, limiting. One thing I’ve been meaning to photograph is Black Mountain, which is a large coastal hill/mountain completely covered in grass. It is very green this time of year. I’ve also heard it referred to as Elephant Mountain. I made a mental note to stop in Inverness on my way home to see how it looked. I knew it was one landscape scene I could photograph using a telephoto lens. This is how it looked when I arrived in Inverness. The green grass of Black Mountain has been turned to gold by the setting sun. The water in the foreground is Tomales Bay. The green hills in the midground are not part of Black Mountain. I don’t know why it’s called Black Mountain.

Photo of Black Mountain from Inverness. — Black Mountain at Sunset

As I stood there in Inverness, I looked at the rest of the east horizon and saw a nice looking ridge well north of Black Mountain that was also bathed in the last light of the day. I don’t know the name for it, assuming there is one. There are two large structures at the top of it, unfortunately.

Photo looking east from Inverness, California — View to Northeast from Inverness

I was somewhat lucky yesterday which counterbalanced my poor planning in not bringing some landscape lenses. I was lucky in the sense that I made it to Inverness with about 5 minutes to spare before the sun’s golden light left these mountain tops.

November 8, 2011May 26, 2018Bison

Bull Bison, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of bull bison standing on trail. — “Sure, I’ll get off the trail when you get here.”

Bison are docile creatures and seem fairly harmless. However, they injure more people in Yellowstone each year than all the other species combined.

Buffalo Nickel Pose

I’m still upgrading all the images on my website. I just finished the bison portfolio. All the “B” mammals are done, except bobcats. To go to my website click here.

March 17, 2011Uncategorized

Pack of Coyotes on the Hunt

Coyote Pack, Point Reyes National Seashore — Coyote Pack on Outcrop

I went out to Point Reyes yesterday afternoon. I saw four bobcats, although one was probably a double count. It’s hard to be sure. I saw no coyotes until the last hour of the day when I saw a pack of four. That’s the most I’ve ever seen there in a group. I think I saw three of these individuals a week ago in the same area. Unfortunately, when they got to this point they were too spread out to all be in the frame together. These two were in the lead. Are they the alpha pair? Click here to order a print of this image.

February 22, 2011Uncategorized

Bobcats Are Special

A bobcat looks for its next meal. — Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

I enjoy seeing and photographing all wildlife, but some species are more special than others to me. Bobcats are one of those species, along with wolves, bears and eagles. I’ll never get tired of photographing them.

February 17, 2011Uncategorized

Bull Elk Near San Francisco

A bull elk ruminates on Tomales Point. — Bull Elk, Tomales Point

I photographed this bull Tule elk in the Elk Reserve at Point Reyes National Seashore a couple of weeks ago. The bulls are dropping their antlers there now. This bull may no longer have his. If elk have egos I wonder how the bulls feel when they lose their antlers?

Those of us who live in the San Francisco Bay Area and like to see wildlife are very fortunate to have Point Reyes nearby. We are certain to see Tule elk and Black-tailed deer at Point Reyes. We have a very good chance of seeing coyotes and bobcats. We can see whales off the coast and marine mammals, such as elephant seals, on the shore. We can see all sorts of bird life, including peregrine falcons. I can’t think of another large metropolitan area that has all of these wildlife species nearby.

January 30, 2011Uncategorized

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California

A bobcat rests in a field. — Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

A bobcat takes a rest in a field. I’ve been seeing a lot of bobcats and coyotes at Point Reyes lately. I saw a bobcat and three coyotes last Friday. I saw this guy the previous visit. Don’t recall what else I saw that day, but I have photos of a coyote from then. I often see things, but don’t get a chance to photograph the animal so what I’ve photographed isn’t a good record of what I saw on any given day. When I started going out to Point Reyes somewhat regularly beginning last summer I didn’t see as many bobcats or coyotes as I’m seeing now. I don’t know if it’s luck lately or that I’m getting better at spotting them. Probably both, but with emphasis on the luck side of the equation.