Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Drama in a Meadow off New York Drive

It is always fun to see deer - especially when you live in the city.   I saw these deer this afternoon at the edge of the meadow across from the old Earthlink building on New York Drive.  

There were four deer.  Two large deer and a couple of younger, smaller deer.    . 

Then I spotted another animal moving over the hillside above the meadow. . I couldn't get a great look at it.  But, it was definitely a cat. Looked like a bobcat or small mountain lion.   I saw the cat move along a stretch of chain link fence and then crouch down.     About fifty feet and a line of chain link separated the cat from the deer. 

I watched the drama play out from the street.   Would the cat go after the deer?

Then I moved in for a closer look.  Camera in hand, I very stealthily stepped over a string of wire and crept into the meadow.   With one eye I watched the animals.  With my other eye,  I tried to navigate the meadow without stepping on anything crunchy.


I made my way well into the meadow.   I still had a bead on the deer.   The cat lurked behind the deer. A hawk soared above.   Just a few more steps and I would pause for what was going to be a great picture.

Then, quail happened. 

I've seen quail in the meadow before.  They scurry around from bush to bush.  Fun to watch. Hard to follow.  Impossible (for me) to photograph.

I had taken one step too many.   A bevy of quail scattered across the ground in front of me.   I watched the birds dart through the brush.  Then, I looked up.  The deer were walking away.   I looked in vain for the cat.  It was gone.

The drama was done.  Show over.

9 comments:

Bellis said...

How exciting! I didn't know there were mountain lions in that area. Quail make so much noise when they rise, don't they? At least you saved the life of a young deer by your stalking.

Cafe Pasadena said...

That's over on eastern NY Drive, if I'm not misremembering.

Look 4ward to another of your wild kingdom reports from the field!

Petrea Burchard said...

Good job, hero! Wonderful reporting.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

dam quail

Pasadena Adjacent said...

btw: did you catch my kitty sighting (not Peoples) but this one?

Nh Shovro said...

deer is my one of the most favorite animals, i saw them from very near in forest (Sundorbon, the largest Mangrove forest). They are so curious about noise. By the by your article is interesting, feeling goods for the deers and bad for the cat.
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Anonymous said...

That's a bobcat, not a mountain lion.

-K- said...

Wow, I don't get that kind of drama in this part of the world.

Test Killer said...
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