Mystery Animal Caught on Camera... a Bobcat sighting?

In the midst of some 200 hundred photos of deer, turkey, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and a male pheasant taken over a four day period by my new trail camera, were the three posted below.

While zipping through the night time deer photos I came across this one.  I was very excited thinking that we had caught a coyote with the camera.  Then I looked more closely and noticed its tail.  Way too short for a coyote and the head looks too round.

In this photo I began to think it was our neighbors' dog named, "Munch."  She is short-legged and true to her name, she's a plump, Red Healer.  She also likes to explore our land every now and then.  But then I noticed the pointed ears which definitely make the face look cat-like.

This photo was the clincher.  REALLY looks cat-like here.  Round face, pointed ears, and note the shortness of the leg above the ankle.   Plus there appears to be spots on the fur that are visible on that leg.  I say it's a bobcat.  Any thoughts on this would be welcome.



BONUS PIC:

Speaking of mystery animals, there was also this rather curious and (as of this date) yet unidentified creature.  In fact, there were numerous photos of this wild animal, doing everything from strolling up the trail to what appears to be some type of weird dance in front of the camera.

Could it be that this mystery animal was in fact aware of the camera?  And if so, could it possibly be trying to communicate something to/with the civilized world?  More investigation may be required to answer these important questions.  Stay tuned.

Fly Like an Eagle

The other day I was moving some heavy cement blocks, landscaping tools and a variety of other items that had suddenly revealed themselves thanks to the disappearing snow. Deciding that I deserved a break, which I often do, I headed over to my pick-up and leaned over the hood. The sun was shining brightly and the heat radiating off the hood felt so wonderful that I extended my arms across it, laying one side of my face on the warm metal.

It was an awesome pre-spring moment. I could hear the sound of birds chirping noisily. The sunlight was warming everything it touched and a gentle southern breeze began blowing through my hair. Even the smell of compost brewing, a smell that normally repulses me, was pleasant. My thoughts turned to the garden and I wondered happily when the soil might be warm enough to begin turning it and working it again.

Suddenly a “Woooosh!,” sound came from directly overhead and the sunlight disappeared for millisecond. It sounded so close and was so loud that I was more than a little startled. I instantly and instinctively crouched as if I were on top of the hill during deer season when a rifle shot explodes nearby from some unseen hunter.

I looked up, beginning to mouth, “What the heck?!,” but stopped mid-sentence. There above me was a bald eagle. It's white face was brilliant in the sunshine and its wings were fully extended. It was beautiful. And it was huge!

It continued on its journey gliding over the garage roof and down over the valley. It could not have been more than 30 feet above me when it had passed over and I was stunned by how close it had come. We have seen many bald eagles since moving out here in 2002 but I had never seen one in the wild this close.

I continued to watch in awe as it flew effortlessly over the tree tops. Steve Miller's song, “Fly Like an Eagle,” came to mind as I thought about how cool it would be to view the land from that eagle's vantage point. I kept my eyes on it until it disappeared behind a hillside where the valley bends to the south. I couldn't help but smile.