Sweetwater Wetlands: Raccoon

Going to Sweetwater Wetlands at dawn often provides an opportunity to see bobcats, coyotes, and/or raccoons.

On June 4th I arrived just as the gate was being opened. I was greeted by two raccoons within a few minutes. One climbed a tree -- so we could play hide n' seek. The other had been in the algae covered water.

Here are a few of the photos I took, starting with my favorite:

Note the algae covered feet:

Sometimes a Photo

As I was wandering around Sweetwater Wetlands looking for the Purple Gallinule and also hoping to find a Bobcat or Raccoon, I  photographed a dragonfly that was sitting on a palm leaf where I was standing. Didn't think anything more about it as I continued looking for the Purple Gallinule.  

Didn't find the Gallinule, did find a Raccoon family, but was also pleasantly surprised by the photo of the dragonfly (which I had forgotten about),

Turned out pretty nice:

Dragonfly

Sweetwater Raccoons

In addition to the Soras I found at Sweetwater Wetlands on Thursday, I came across a Raccoon and her two "Kits" in the down cattails of Keyhole Pond.


It reminded me of my encounter with a female Bobcat and her two Kittens at Sweetwater a few months ago.


The Kits were playing just as the Bobcat Kittens were playing. Here are a few photos:

Great Egret and Snowy Egret Pals

A break from my Warbler Series to show a Snowy Egret and Great Egret together at Sweetwater Wetlands:



A Snowy Egret about to land  in a barren tree top:

A Great Egret decides to join him:

 Now, sitting together:

 The Snowy Egret alone:

More Bobcat Photos

Here are a few more Bobcat photos from Sweetwater on Wednesday:

Mom with young one

Mom waiting for two young ones to catch up

Walking out on a tree limb

Walking into the Weed Bed in search of food

Coming down from the tree limb without food

Youngster # 1

Youngster #2

A Great Day at Sweetwater Wetlands - Part III

A great day at Sweetwater Wetlands is seeing a Bobcat -- even if you don't see anything else. But seeing and getting great photos of a Black and White Warbler and Common Yellowthroat made it an especially great day.

We have Bobcats that come around our Bed and Breakfast frequently. Frequently meaning six or seven times this year. Guests have seen them other times when we haven't, and certainly Bobcats have come around at night when nobody sees them. So I'm guessing they stroll through several times a month.

Yet I never get tired of seeing a Bobcat and watching them do their thing. And, once again at Sweetwater I was treated to the presence of a Bobcat. They seem to be residents at Sweetwater making it the place with the most potential if you want to see one. 

Here are some photos from my November 19th visit:

A Not So Elusive Green Heron

The often elusive Green Heron is a small wading bird that likes to hide in weed beds.  I suspect several call Sweetwater Wetlands their home, yet finding them is not always possible. But occasionally you come across one that is out in the open, intent on fishing or getting its photo taken. Such was the case last week on two separate visits to this birding paradise:

Nice little fish he caught.

That's the small fish he is "flipping" so it goes down easy.

Another Bobcat Photo Shoot

Even though I've been photographing wildlife for 25 years -- including grizzlies, wolves, moose, caribou etc, one of my favorite animals to photograph is the Bobcat. I never tire of seeing them. 

Their diet depends on their location. Here at The Azure Gate rabbits and squirrels are their favorite prey. In other areas ducks, geese, and swans are their premium choice. So, a place like Sweetwater Wetlands that has rabbits, squirrels, and ducks represents an area with a lot of potential.

NOTE: In wilderness areas, Bobcats will take down and eat young female deer. In farm/ranch areas they will take down and eat sheep. There is an organization that reimburses farmers/ranchers who have lost sheep to Bobcats. You may ask "Well, how often does that happen?" The answer is that Bobcats kill around 30 sheep per day in the US.

Okay, back to my story. Last week, I arrived at Sweetwater Wetlands early hoping to find a Bobcat. And, as luck -- or maybe intuition had it -- there was not one, but two young Bobcats. Soon they went their separate ways, so I followed one who was clearly on a hunt. Sometimes I'd follow behind. Sometimes I'd be right along side. And, sometimes I'd be in front of him so I could get a good photo. It didn't seem to matter much to the Bobcat. Never once did he show his displeasure with my being around. And even when I was in front of him he still kept coming. Somehow I think he wanted his photo taken.

So here they are, 8 out of about 200 photos that I took: