I could hardly believe what I was seeing! A bobcat, out in the open, seemingly unaware of my presence. Transfixed on the birds that it hoped would be dinner. I excitedly watched it for a few minutes before I thought to go get my scope from the car. I couldn't believe that I hadn't grabbed it to begin with! Arg! I rushed back to the car as quietly as one can when they are super excited, but at least I remembered to just tap the trunk shut. I didn't even lock the car. I didn't want the "beep" to shift the bobcat's focus. I rushed back and held my breath as I peered over the barrier...please let it still be there...it was! Still transfixed on the birds. It laid on the rocks, barely moving, until dusk. I decided to leave before it got dark, just in case I was keeping it from hunting, but I don't think I had any effect on its behavior. It never even acknowledged my presence. I feel like it would be naive to think it didn't know that I was there, but then again, maybe not. The breeze was blowing on my face, away from the bobcat, hopefully not even giving my scent away. Besides accidentally kicking a piece of gravel on my way back to the car, I had managed to remain quiet and still.
I went back the next day. I didn't expect to be lucky enough to see it again, but couldn't resist looking anyway. I stopped by on my way to another spot I wanted to bird and arrived just in time to see it settle into the grasses to watch the birds again! This time, all I could see were the tips of its ears. If I had arrived 15 seconds later, I probably wouldn't have even seen it. Smiling, I watched for just a minute and then decided to leave before I gave myself away or drew attention from other passersby...
I was running a little late heading back to check one more time that same day. I had told one of the park rangers what I had seen and she was already there, watching. This time, I remembered to grab my scope from the start. I slowly crept up to the edge and when I looked over it was sitting on the rocks with its paws and face wet. I don't know if it had caught anything or not this time, but a closer look at the rocks revealed a number of previous avian meals.