Bobcat with pocket gopher prey

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cr_wildlife said:
Thank you. I keep hoping that the NPS will simply do their job.
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Not sure that's entirely fair…the landowners and farmers were there first and without knowing what the original contracts and deals were buying them and leasing back to the farmers was probably the only way to really get local support back then. Now whether the leases should have been extended or not…eh, that's a harder question…on one hand it is a National Seashore and NPS is supposed to maintain it for the public good…but on the other hand the farmers were there first and it isn't like there is a lot of other available farmland the farmers could have bought and moved operations to when they were likely forced to sell to the government. Fair goes both ways of course…and the NPS is likely required to both maintain the park for the public good and to not screw the people who live/work in the bounds of the park…and those are conflicting missions.

And to get back to the point of the thread…an excellent shot. Bobcats are pretty elusive creatures and while I've probably seen a dozen of them I never had a camera in my hands when I did…and the 3 best ones were all out west and just wandered across the road in front of us as we drove in or out of the RV parks…I kept almost always a body with my longest telephoto on the seat in the truck next to me but all 3 were such fleeting encounters that getting a shot just wasn't in the cards.
 
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No, the farmers were told at the time of the deal that they had 5 years to arrange to leave. The land was purchased from them and leased back. They agreed to the sale. the government could have just kicked them off (eminent domain). They were paid a fair price and the leases are way below market. Why can't I get the government to purchase my house at market value and then lease it back to me at a low rate? The original owners are gone, all of the land is now owned by two families who have also bought up a lot of farmland adjacent to the park with the money they got for selling their farms in the park. They could easily move. With regard to the farmers caring for the land, there are garbage dumps of the land, they spread manure on their hay fields that pollute the streams. In fact, the coliform bacteria count of streams emptying into the ocean from Point Reyes is amongst the highest of any stream in the entire country. Lastly, the elk where there before the farmers.
Regardless, thanks for the kind words about my photo. You should visit Point Reyes. At least at this time, your chances of seeing one is pretty high.
 
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KurtT said:
Nice shot ! I have been out several times in the past year never spied a bobcat, see more in my backyard:). I have seen badger, mountain beaver, alot of coyotes especially down around Abbot's Lagoon, out to lighthouse and out towards Pierce Point Road. Question: do you know if it is allowed at all to cross onto the leased land at all? Have you located any Burrowing Owls spots this year?
Kurt
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Most of the land is open for use by the general public. The areas right around the ranch buildings are closed to the general public (https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/mana...maps_ranch_operation_public_closure_areas.pdf), and there are some seasonal closures for wildlife protection (the areas around seal colonies, for example). At times, ranchers or rangers will strongly imply that you can't go into the agricultural fields, but it's very clearly allowed. Nothing good would come from getting into a big argument, so on the rare occasions it comes up I move along and then find another spot to do my photography (in or out of a field depending on what I find).

Were you looking for the mountain beaver? I haven't spotted one across a few dozen trips to Point Reyes.
 
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jacquesgt said:
Most of the land is open for use by the general public. The areas right around the ranch buildings are closed to the general public (https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/mana...maps_ranch_operation_public_closure_areas.pdf), and there are some seasonal closures for wildlife protection (the areas around seal colonies, for example). At times, ranchers or rangers will strongly imply that you can't go into the agricultural fields, but it's very clearly allowed. Nothing good would come from getting into a big argument, so on the rare occasions it comes up I move along and then find another spot to do my photography (in or out of a field depending on what I find).

Were you looking for the mountain beaver? I haven't spotted one across a few dozen trips to Point Reyes.
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No, I had seen them down at Abbott's lagoon. I was wondering if anyone knows where any burrowing owls are out there? Have seen badger from distance but lsnd frnced so didn't know if could go in the fields.
 
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cr_wildlife said:
You can enter the leased land, at least I do. And what is a mountain beaver?
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Great capture and while I've been fortunate to have a couple furtive glances from these marvelous cats, I've never had the opportunity to film them. Yes, one can enter those fields but doing so is at one's peril. On occasion I've seen "no trespassing" signs posted and while it is legal to enter BLM administered land, it is less clear about the status of NPS leased properties. It's best to ask the staff, though I would suspect that the answers would vary.
 
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