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Bobcat

Lynx rufus

Far from my best photo, but one of my favorites because of the experience.  In case you can't tell from all my "favorite" photos, I love Arizona.  We've been to the same B&B on the outskirts of Tucson at least 4 or 5 times over the years.  It's on the edge of Saguaro National Park (the eastern unit), and they have their own 40 acres of Sonoran Desert habitat. As I always do on vacation, on May 7th, 2008, I got up at dawn and started walking around the grounds of the B&B, looking for photo opportunities.  It's truly "wild" habitat, and it's very common to see coyotes, javelina (Collared Pecary), snakes, lizards, and birds galore.  On this morning I was walking near the bottom of a dry wash that holds a dense mix of mesquite, palo verde, and cacti, when I noticed a bit of movement in the brush ahead of me. I thought for sure it was a covey of Gambel's Quail, birds that are always playing hide-and-seek with me as I walk through the area.  I got a bit closer, and it definitely wasn't a quail!  A gorgeous bobcat was lying at the base of a bush, and as I stopped and raised my camera, he slowly stood up and gave me a stare, as if to say "why are you disturbing me!?!?"  He didn't stay long.  Given the dense brush, a clear shot wasn't possible, and this was the only decent photo I was able to get before he sauntered off down the hill.  This remains the only wild bobcat I've ever seen, and it was certainly a thrill to see him from such incredibly close range.