Big Night - UPDATE March 25, 2023

Bobcat
It was a big night for the animals and for the team collecting videos, putting food out twice, and clicking the camera while I was home oblivious through the night. When I arrived in the morning and saw that all the food was gone, I knew there were stories I’d hear. It turned out to be excitement that we finally got good pictures.Gray fox
Gray fox

Before midnight, the gray fox ate the first batch of pork, chicken, bologna (pictured), and blueberry mini-muffins.
Bobcat face
Bobcat

At midnight, "Eyes" put out another batch in case Bob Cat came, which he did at 12:16 AM, climbing a tree to the second floor deck. The full body picture of him by a tree is just after he climbed the tree and spotted "Eyes" aiming the camera and gave this intense look. The other picture is of him approaching the bonanza from which he took only a few pieces before leaving at 12:30. He returned briefly at 2:17 AM using the steps instead of the tree.
At 3 AM, the video camera captured the red fox blithely running up the steps to the second floor deck bonanza then running down twice as fast. On the ground, he paused looking back up the steps at Bob Cat starting down the steps after him. The screen shot from the video shows the fox as a dark blob just entering the lighted area on the left side of the picture by the corner of the garage as he fled up the driveway.
Bobcat chasing fox
Bobcat chasing fox

After that, the guard changed again. Bob Cat left. The gray fox came back for still more at 3:20 AM and made ten trips up the steps by 4:01 AM.
Thank you team. Thank you everyone who has signed up for the Black Bear Field Courses that I’m so looking forward to. Only one spot is still open in the July 3-6 course.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center