Of all the beautiful photos we got on our birding trip to the coast of Central California, the most exciting to me was of a very cooperative bobcat at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park below Big Sur.  When asked what my favorite bird was, I had to say, it wasn’t a bird at all, but a bobcat!  We have them in Central PA where we live;  in fact, they inhabit most of the United States, but I had never seen one before.

While talking to a young couple with their toddler, and walking a path through a primitive campground, we were greatly surprised to see this beautiful cat sitting at the side of the trail.  He sat there just watching us, unconcernedly, and I slowly went on ahead taking occasional shots.  He didn’t let me get very close, but just ambled away, stopped on the trail for awhile looking at me, and then finally slowly walked away into the brush.   Such a beautiful animal!  What a thrill!