Nature Watch, Your Flora and Fauna Photos and Stories

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Sometimes the fauna doesn't want to cooperate. I spotted this buffalo alongside the road the other morning and decided to stop to photograph him. I snapped the first one as I went up the small hill towards him. He had walked up to the road on the hill. I drove past him to get a feel for his mood, and he didn't mind my presence so I pulled a u turn and came back to him. As I rolled the window down he went from standing with his head up and looking my way to laying down.
 
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After a few days of cold and wind, a bright, sunny morning and my neighbors are jumpin' and harvesting acorns past buried.
 
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Always been on the look out for snakes and large spiders. Spider warning/reminder sign at the Anglo-Australian Siding Spring observatory - NSW
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My rose bush giving the last Push


👍
Reminds me of the 1.35 meter Skymapper telescope when engineers had to remove 50 kilograms of ladybird beetles from the dome's drive system in order to get it going around again.
 
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A friend just sent me these. Lives not too far away and when I told her I commonly see bobcats paired up and playing together she doubted me but experienced it today for herself. They were romping and playing all over her backyard.
 
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@Walrus. I took this a few minutes ago not far from the house. I saw three or four dear friends in a few minutes. I think your near neighbours would enjoy a local romp here with the little deers :0)
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@Walrus. I took this a few minutes ago not far from the house. I saw three or four dear friends in a few minutes. I think your near neighbours would enjoy a local romp here with the little deers :0)
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These are frequently in gardens around here. A friend got so pissed off by them eating her flowers that I put up an anti-Muntjac fence for her. It keeps them out of the back anyway, can't do anything about the front. Before the fence one gave birth on her back lawn.


Actually a different garden, the perimeter is such that it is going to be very difficult to keep the Muntjac out.
 
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MRC MRC
These are frequently in gardens around here. A friend got so pissed off by them eating her flowers that I put up an anti-Muntjac fence for her. It keeps them out of the back anyway, can't do anything about the front. Before the fence one gave birth on her back lawn.


Actually a different garden, the perimeter is such that it is going to be very difficult to keep the Muntjac out.

They are getting very common, but , mega cute and very deft in the undergrowth. We did have one for dinner tonight (served on the table, not as a guest… so trying to keep the equilibrium….;0)
 
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@Walrus. I took this a few minutes ago not far from the house. I saw three or four dear friends in a few minutes. I think your near neighbours would enjoy a local romp here with the little deers :0)
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I had to look it up as I thought they might be too big but deer make up 8% of Bob cats diet. Biggest bobcat on record I’ve found was 55lbs. It is not their main food source but a go to for tough times. Seems rodents and rabbits are their favorite food I’m pretty sure the ones my neighbor got pictures of are males I did not realize the how much bigger the males are. They don’t particularly like to be seen by humans so once they notice you are observing them they usually dart off the young ones do come to my door at times but that seems to pass quickly.
 
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Stretching the topic, but it is a large river, which is nature.

The pipe organs are in a town called Rio Vista which is between San Francisco and Sacramento. It is known for it's classic drawbridge, which is pretty much panamax in size. It is also about 50 miles inland. There is not as much ship traffic on this branch of the river any more. Tuesday however I got stuck waiting for the bridge. Amazing how impatient people are waiting. Getting out of their cars wandinge around.

And what was this hold up that made me over 45 minutes late?



A fishing boat! So yes there is nature at work here.

I also learned how to use the pinch zoom feature on the iPhone.
 
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I’m pretty sure the ones my neighbor got pictures of are males I did not realize the how much bigger the males are.

I don't think two grown males would be "romping and playing", bobcats are solitary most of the time and very territorial. Plus these two look different in size to me. However playing is typical pre-mating behaviour, so I hope we get your friend's photos of some cute kittens in a few months time.

(I've seen a bobcat in Sequoia National Park, but as I oh-so-slowly got my camera out it saw me and disappeared 🙁 )
 
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I don't think two grown males would be "romping and playing", bobcats are solitary most of the time and very territorial. Plus these two look different in size to me. However playing is typical pre-mating behaviour, so I hope we get your friend's photos of some cute kittens in a few months time.

(I've seen a bobcat in Sequoia National Park, but as I oh-so-slowly got my camera out it saw me and disappeared 🙁 )
Not debating as I’m no expert on the subject but I talked to department of wildlife (actually it’s DEP) in my state as I was curious I always thought of them as solitary creatures and the officer told me they often do pair up and not just for mating. They do exhibit some “social behaviors” that I would never have thought. They also mark off a crazy amount of territory in miles as their “own”. There are also Canadian bobcats which tend to be bigger in my area but I’ve seen them ranging in size to a regular house cat (I think female) to a smaller or bigger dog.

Anyway you could be 100% correct and the playfulness is some mating behavior my neighbor saw I just find it all fascinating, the day she saw them it was probably -20f and they just do their thing. I’d really like to visit an arctic area this whole animal survival thing really gets mindblowing.
 
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Anyway you could be 100% correct and the playfulness is some mating behavior my neighbor saw I just find it all fascinating, the day she saw them it was probably -20f and they just do their thing. I’d really like to visit an arctic area this whole animal survival thing really gets mindblowing.
My knowledge of their behaviour comes from that fountain of accuracy Wikipedia. So your DEP contact could well be right. But December to February is the mating season.

Photographing wildlife in focus and properly exposed is hard. I know someone who professionally photographs birds and he will spend 12 hours in a camouflage tent for one good shot. I am just an opportunist.
 
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End of the season of the common snowdrops, beginning of the the season of the common primrose here pictured together.