Some mornings give you a photo. Others give you a full-on wildlife moment. This one did both.
I was driving the auto tour road at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I spotted a bobcat slipping through the grass near Tuff Pond.
Wildlife Notes
The bobcat moved with that low, focused walk that screams “hunt.” It stayed tucked into the taller grass and used it like cover as it worked toward a flock of birds.
I watched it for a while, hoping to see how the stalk ended. During my observation, it did not make a catch, but the attempt alone was worth the stop.
In general, bobcats hunt a wide range of prey, including small mammals and birds, so this behavior fit what I would expect to see out there. I also tend to see bobcats when the light is low, early or late, and this encounter came on a crisp morning.
Photography Notes
I photographed this from my pickup along the auto tour road near Tuff Pond. I rested my camera on a bean bag over the open window to keep the setup steady without a tripod.
Gear Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
- Lens: Canon EF 500 mm f/4L IS
Technical:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date & Time Taken: February 18, 2014 (07:43 A.M.)
- Aperture Priority
- Aperture: f5.0
- Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec. (as determined by the camera)
- ISO: 800
- Focal Length: 500 mm
Closing
Seeing a bobcat stalk birds at close range reminded me why I keep coming back to places like Sequoyah. You can plan for light and backgrounds, but you cannot plan for a wild predator choosing your exact stretch of road.
That unpredictability is the whole point, and it is what keeps me watching.