Big Cat Bridge

This camera set on an old footbridge shows several carnivore species.  A ringtail, Bassariscus astutus, made the first appearance on the first night of the set.  The following day a mother cougar, Puma concolor, with three cubs crossed the bridge in broad daylight.  On day three, another slightly larger cougar crossed the bridge going the opposite direction.  That evening the camera was visited by a striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, and the ringtail.  A western grey squirrel, Sciurus griseus, visited the bridge on day four and every day for the rest of the two week set.  A young bobcat, Lynx Rufus, crossed the bridge the same day and left a scent marker on the rusty fence post with chicken wire.  Meanwhile, the ringtail visited the bridge every evening for the duration of the set.  In the early morning on day eight the larger cougar returned across the bridge under the cover of darkness.  On day nine an older bobcat crossed the bridge coming from the same direction as the younger bobcat.  The old cat stopped to smell the scent marker left by the other bobcat.  The striped skunk made another appearance during the pre-dawn hours of day fifteen.

Female mountain lion, Puma concolor, with three cubs crossing an old footbridge over the Rubicon River in broad daylight.  Mountain lions are ubiquitously distributed throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains but are rarely seen.  This was my first time successfully photographing a mountain lion after several attempts.

A larger, lone cougar crosses the bridge heading in the opposite direction the following day after the female and her cubs.

Two different bobcats, Lynx Rufus, crossed the bridge five days apart.  The first bobcat is a young adult.  This bobcat lifts its tail and sprays the fence post leaving behind a scent marker.  An older bobcat comes by five days later and detects the marker from the first bobcat.

The ringtail, Bassariscus astutus, is seldom seen due to its nocturnal and secretive lifestyle.  This ringtail likely has a nest in a cavity in a nearby tree and was a regular visitor of the bridge, showing up every night except the second.  The ringtail has a midden at the center of the bridge which it visits regularly.  This was my first photograph of a ringtail.

The striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, made two appearances during the two week set.  This picture captured the skunk on alert with the back arched and tail up.

This western grey squirrel, Sciurus griseus, was a common daytime visitor of the bridge. The squirrel made an appearance everyday except for the first two; often several times per day.