Elusive!

Cougars and cougar-bloggers are the same in this way, hence the rare sighting of an update here. But the good news is that instead of blogging, I've been camera trapping like crazy and have some great video to show for it.

Cougarmagic is now on Facebook, and that page gets updated frequently.  Discussion is also easier and more fun.  Please stop by there if you're a FB user!

Three great sequences captured by Tanner and I this spring.  We managed to find (completely by accident) a bedding site for this big male.  With about 15 minutes of this silliness on the card, we were giggling till our cheeks hurt when we checked this camera.



He took a break from this exhausting schedule to patrol territory, and seemed a bit stressed (or excited?) to find another lion hanging around a nearby canyon.  Girlfriend?  It's hard to tell.


And finally, but hopefully not the only time we get to see this rare sight, he checks his nap spot during the daytime.

Puma Patrol

I'm not great with words, and let's be honest, you all just like to see the pics and videos the most anyway!  So here are some recent captures, and a little bit about them.

Up first, yes indeed our pride of 3 is still alive and growing.  I mention "still alive" because we've been worried about Jughead taking offense to their squatting in his territory.  So far he seems willing to share.

Uno...
 

Dos...
 

Tres...
  

And, three days later, the king walks by unconcerned.
  

Nearby, the bobcats enjoy a springtime-induced rabbit buffet.  

I tried taking still photos instead of video for a while, knowing I might get some nice daytime images.  But I miss the dynamic nature of video, so look forward to a return to your regularly scheduled programming in the coming weeks. 

But Wait, There's More

Back in October, we were so excited to capture two cougar kittens on camera, in the Verdugos. Suddenly, the population there went from one, to four (mom must be around somewhere, although we never saw her.) Surprise, and some dismay that a month later two tiny kittens were found underneath someone's car in Burbank, and whisked away to Zoo to You, an educational facility in Paso Robles. Their lives were saved, and they'll have a pretty luxurious life there, but it meant that there really was only room for one lion in the Verdugos. That wild areas have gotten so small that other animals couldn't make it more than a few short weeks. And I would have loved to see them on camera again.

But as much as camera trapping has opened a huge window into observing wildlife, we still only see one tiny spot of real estate, for a brief few seconds. The real detective work is left to biologists, and my hat's off to them for figuring out mysteries like this.

Are these our October kittens, growing fast? Did a litter of four somehow get split up? Or has a completely new family moved in recently, in search of better hunting?

Not to be overshadowed, this less mysterious male has been making rounds in the San Gabriels following mule deer. Whole Foods indeed...

Where's Waldo?

Geez, look at that belly!

Small Cat Week

In honor of Nat Geo Wild's "Big Cat Week", I present to you my own miniature version.  My episode is only 16 seconds long, and contains just two small big cats. Since it is a first for me to see kittens, and also a complete and total surprise, I consider it more momentous than anything second tier cable has to offer!