Bobcat

 I was reading one of my regular plants in Rancho Sierra Vista, and  came across a bobcat less than 2m from the trail and about 20 feet away-not unheard of,  but very unusual. It wasn't in dense grass, but in some fairly sparse but tall mustard. I took some pictures from this distance, until I heard it growling quietly, so I decided to leave it alone and move on.

 I had to pass closer to it to get through the area, and it did not like that-here, it has just given me its best roar, ears back,  and looked very unhappy.

An hour later I came back, and didn't see the cat...but while I was looking at the spot it had been lying, it turned up 5 feet away and growling again to my side. I shot the last two pictures while backing away and talking to it. I've never seen one spend this sort of time out in the open in one place. It was about 1:00 PM, which is also an unusual time to see one out and about-they prefer dawn and dusk.

It looks a bit thin, but I don't really know what is normal. Notice the radio collar and ear tag. It's old enough that its ears are pretty well ragged. It might have had a kill with it; at the second encounter, it was licking its chops as I left, but I didn't see anything.

It's pretty large as they go, and it's probably the same one that walked by me last week.

Yesterday, on a hike with a larger group, we found this spiffy gopher snake on Snake Trail. Well over three feet; there was some meat on this one.