Thursday, October 25, 2012

Merlins and Lions! Oh My! (Patagonia, AZ)

Yesterday was filled with a couple of surprises....
photos by Dan
During our morning breakfast, a female Merlin landed in the tree right outside our dining room window.  It was one of those "Wow!" moments that makes you forget what you were doing.  She hopped from one limb to the other looking for the House Finches that had been eating bird seeds just seconds ago.  She kept getting closer and closer to our window.  It was amazing!  Of course, I was thinking "too bad I can't take pictures through these dark windows"...
The biggest surprise was what Dan captured on his camera today.  Yep, a Mountain Lion sitting in the middle of the trail.  The same trail I had been walking on only a couple of hours earlier.
Dan was walking with one of our preserve visitors when they saw this Mountain Lion sitting right on one of our trails.  He estimates they were 20-30 yards from the cat.  The  cat ignored them at first, then looked directly at them for a bit before it slowly sauntered down the small hill off the path. 

Since there have been no signs of a Mountain Lion living on the Preserve (scat, fresh kill), our manager plans to check around often to make sure he or she was just passing through the area.  Of course, he also mentioned that their territory can be up to 150 mile radius, so this one might show up again this winter.
I know!  I know!  I can't adopt this kitty...
Happy Trails!!
at 7:22 AM
Labels: , , ,

13 comments:

  1. Sue MaloneOctober 25, 2012 at 7:49 AM

    Oh!My! Gosh! In 35 years of working in woods and wilderness I have only seen two cats, and both time they were on the run. Never, never, even working in cat country, did I get a photo like this one. Amazing, incredible, what an amazing thing to get a photo of this cat looking right at you! Stay safe on those trails!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SandyOctober 26, 2012 at 9:06 AM

      It is amazing and I wish I had been there when Dan saw him. I'm not so sure I would want to meet this guy on the trail by myself.

      Delete
  2. Sweet Posy DreamsOctober 25, 2012 at 7:51 AM

    I had to look up merlin to see what it is. It would be fun to see one so close. The mountain lion is beautiful, but that would be scary!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ImagesByCW | OceanDreamIllustrationOctober 25, 2012 at 8:24 AM

    Oh wow! What a majestic sights. I love all kinds of cats, the bigger the better, but also scarier - LOL. No, you cannot adopt this one. Although I understand why you would want to ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SandyOctober 26, 2012 at 9:08 AM

      I think I'll stick with our four cats. This one would eat us out of house and home ...literally! :0)

      Delete
  4. 2justByouOctober 25, 2012 at 9:58 AM

    Whoa!!! Look at that! That big kitty was looking STRAIGHT at the camera!!! Oh wow! It's a little bit scary that it was right on the trail, but what a beauty. Great photos too. I too wish you had a photo of the Merlin (darn those windows!). But these pics of the mountain lion are wonderful.
    ~Kim
    from Blogging Buddies
    2justByou.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Curator VioletOctober 25, 2012 at 12:54 PM

    Wow! That must've been amazing for you. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnnetteOctober 25, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    That is so cool and scary at the same time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Julie FukudaOctober 26, 2012 at 12:14 AM

    Great pictures! I'm not sure I would have stuck around long enough to get a picture. Those cats don't get much PR for their friendly behavior.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too Many CatsOctober 26, 2012 at 9:17 AM

      Judy,

      Out in CA and other areas Mountain Lions (aka Cougars) have less game and are more of a danger to humans due to hunger and desperation. Fortunately, in this area, the cats feast on deer and javelina and not desperate. (Dan)

      Delete
  8. hollyOctober 26, 2012 at 10:09 AM

    Wow, that last photograph is such an amazing capture, look at that face! The biggest thrill we see when I go on walks with my son is seeing squirrels haha so you definitely have me beat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SandyOctober 26, 2012 at 8:18 PM

      I think I would like to stay with seeing squirrels! LOL! It is a little unnerving and yet - amazing to see a wild mountain lion up-close.

      Delete
  9. UnifyhandmadeOctober 27, 2012 at 6:30 PM

    OH my gosh! It's so cute. On camera it's cute but I was there in person I probably would have been super scared, hehe. Great shots! Mountain lions are so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking time to leave me a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

"Friendship is a blessing, It's the best you have to share, The talents and the wisdom, The capacity to care." ~ Emily Matthews

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts