pasithea

We went hiking up at Perry Grant again. I so totally love that park. It's big and open and there's NOBODY there. I mean our entire trip we saw.... Two belgian tourists. It's always a good place when the wildlife outnumbers the humans and boy did it today!

On our way into the park, I spied a true western jackrabbit and we encountered a hidious red-faced turkey buzzard feasting upon roadkill. Just as we turned to enter the park I sighted a wild sow and at least one piglet. While hiking we saw the ususal squirrels, lizards, ducks, doves, quail, and these beautiful little blue birds. Lotsa good insects too. Large black stingless ants, blue bees, and a variety of spiders and other nifty little guys. Up on top of the hill we came across a dead western kingsnake. Very attractive creature. Rigor mortis hadn't even set in. Then we discovered why. A very very cranky turkey was squawking at us from the grass saying, "THAT'S MY SNAKE!" So we took off and let her be. (She was standing maybe 10 feet from us)

We took some side trails and kept seeing various tracks that we argued about whether they were canine or feline. Tracked them for quite a ways. Near one set of tracks about 4 feet off the ground was a tree with two strips of bark shreaded off it. ^_^ So then the debate began as to whether it was a bobcat or a mountain lion...

We hiked on back to our car (seeing more boar in the brush to the side of the trail, much too close for my comfort) Then we sat and had sandwiches. A bachelor pair of turkeys wandered past and looked at us then realized we weren't funny colored trees and hastily beat it down the trail a ways (and we got a good laugh because one crossed the fence line and waited for the other who kept walking back and forth, trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the fence)

Off in the distance I saw a deer and pointed it out... Then, just as we were about to leave, something caught the corner of my eye. HOLY MOLEY! Not 50 feet from our car. I grabbed Stacey, "BOBCAT!!! BOBCAT!!!" He was HUGE!!! I mean bigger than some mountain lions I've seen. This was one HELL of a salty pepper-grey, stubby little tail. Probably big enough to handle a full grown wild pig. O_O

Making it even more exciting, as he disappeared into the brush, what we assume he was probably following popped out the other side. Longlegged, big doofy ears that swiveled around at us in suprise, then he stopped to scratch his ear before disappearing into the bush in the opposite direction of the cat. Coyotes are SO cute!!! ^_^ I hadn't seen one in quite a while. :)

So that explains all of our confusion. canine AND feline and a REALLY FREAKING HUGE bobcat. :)
Totally worth the trip. :)