Today was my last day to go Naturing in Pt. Reyes. And since I always feel obliged to visit Abbotts Lagoon anytime I have time in Pt. Reyes, that’s where I went!

But, it’s late. Well, late for me. I absolutely HATE having to start getting ready for bed at 10pm because of work. UGH.

So my photos will have to show ALL THE THINGS I got to see today! So so many.

But, HAVE TO mention some highlights…

BOBCAT.
BOBCAT.
BOBCAT.

I had parked my car and sat looking across the street at the barren field before me. But I saw something that looked like A SHAPE in the distance. And it was a FLIPPIN’ BOBCAT!!!

Got to watch it for a while. And I could not believe I got to see one. I will say this. I saw some AMAZING things today. And I got no good photos whatsoever of them. Everything SUPER COOL (with one exception) was so dang far away from me today.

But I still marveled at my luck. In seeing these elusive creatures in the wild. In their home. Doing their thing. Like they do.

Saw River Otters in the lagoon! Again, crazy far away, but I know what I saw. My video proves it, if my photos don’t…

So many small Butterflies!

Newtome Wing-leaf Monkeyflower!

A Turkey Vulture doing a Cormorant’s Pose. Didn’t know they did that!

Watched a Shamrock Orbweaver wrap up one of those small Butterflies!!

Northern Harrier and Northern Flicker.

A newtome Butterfly!!!!! A Purplish Copper! Soooooo pretty. With a unique red wavy line on the ventral side. Yep, now that I’ve read Liam O’Brien’s book, I know what side to call it. The underside is the ventral side. The back side is the dorsal side.

As I was getting closer to finishing my out and back, I noticed A SHAPE in the distance. Now, I’ve seen a COYOTE in those fields before. When I visited for a field trip while taking my second California Naturalist certification in Pt. Reyes. So I was scouring the landscape to see if I might see it again the entire time out there. Ultimately realizing that it’d be silly for me to see it twice there.

But there it was!!! Again, super crap photos. But I got to watch it stare intently and ohsostill for a while. No leaping, pouncing action, as I’d hoped. BUT! A SECOND COYOTE joined it! They both appeared to be on the hunt. Once the second one joined the first, the first soon gave up and had a little rest under a super tiny barely-a-bush thing. COYOTES!

I reached the parking lot, and I was still watching the Coyotes with my binocs from there. And an older woman asked if I was seeing anything good. I told her about the Coyotes, and she said, “Oh! I know there’s always one here, but I didn’t know about the second.”

I proceeded to tell her about the River Otters I saw in the lagoon. She was delighted. And I mentioned the Bobcat to start my time there, and she said, “WOW! You’ve had a really good day!”

I SO DID!