Mountain Lion spotted near Joe Rodota (Laguna) trail in Sebastopol

[Barry]

From the Sebastopol City website.

Mountain Lion Spotted Near Sebastopol

The City was informed during the morning of April 19th that a mountain lion was spotted near the Joe Rodota Trail in the vicinity of the Postal Annex which is off of Petaluma Avenue. While direct interactions between humans and mountain lions are rare, walkers, hikers, bikers and anyone else should be mindful of presence of wild animals along some of our less developed areas.

The California Department of Fish and Game provides extensive information on wild life in the state including information on mountain lions. Please click here for information from their website.

[Marty M]

AWESOME!!!!

I saw, very likely this same mountain lion traveling west about ten days ago. He/she crossed 116 in front of my car between Hardcore and Sequoia. It was dusk, he/she bounded across the road only touching the pavement three times. He/she was so fast I didn't even have time to move my foot from the gas to the brake.

We are so blessed to have these creatures among us.

Marty

From the Sebastopol City website.

Mountain Lion Spotted Near Sebastopol

The City was informed during the morning of April 19th that a mountain lion was spotted near the Joe Rodota Trail in the vicinity of the Postal Annex which is off of Petaluma Avenue. While direct interactions between humans and mountain lions are rare, walkers, hikers, bikers and anyone else should be mindful of presence of wild animals along some of our less developed areas.

The California Department of Fish and Game provides extensive information on wild life in the state including information on mountain lions. Please click here for information from their website.

[wildinspired]

What an honor! We must remember we are guests on his/her land.
Susan

AWESOME!!!!

I saw, very likely this same mountain lion traveling west about ten days ago. He/she crossed 116 in front of my car between Hardcore and Sequoia. It was dusk, he/she bounded across the road only touching the pavement three times. He/she was so fast I didn't even have time to move my foot from the gas to the brake.

We are so blessed to have these creatures among us.

Marty

[rossmen]

probably a him, which is good i guess since they eat less than the hers. i love cats of all sizes and have a special affinity for the wild. and this evening i saw the young male bobcat who moved to the hill above me last summer in the act of pulling another chicken through the tractor wire. mountain lions go for bigger game. i have never hesitated to walk quietly alone through lion country at dawn or dusk because being pounced apon and possibly eaten appeals as a good and natural way to die...

What an honor! We must remember we are guests on his/her land.
Susan

[photolite]

From the Sebastopol City website.

Mountain Lion Spotted Near Sebastopol

The City was informed during the morning of April 19th that a mountain lion was spotted near the Joe Rodota Trail in the vicinity of the Postal Annex which is off of Petaluma Avenue. While direct interactions between humans and mountain lions are rare, walkers, hikers, bikers and anyone else should be mindful of presence of wild animals along some of our less developed areas.

The California Department of Fish and Game provides extensive information on wild life in the state including information on mountain lions. Please click here for information from their website.

Occidental. Coleman Valley Rd.

[Dixon]

Whaaa...? That ain't no mountain lion. The image quality is not so hot, and there's nothing near the critter for size comparison, so I can't tell if it's a leopard, leopard cat, cheetah, ocelot, fishing cat, Geoffroy's cat, kodkod, margay, oncilla, serval (not sure the ears are big enough), or even an unusually spotted housecat. It looks too gracile and too starkly spotted for a lynx or bobcat, though the apparent (but not certain) lack of a long tail is suggestive. The rosettes seem a little too small for a jaguar or a snow leopard, and again it looks a bit too gracile for either of them. Few of the possibilities are species indigenous to this area. More info, please. Your best judgment of its size? Location? Possible animal preserve or...?

[photolite]

It most certainly IS NOT a mountain lion. I posted it because it is current, local and cat.
My neighbor has a $50 camera (hence the quality) with a motion sensor in her field just off C.V.Rd. This animal tripped it on the date and time in the photos. It is most decidedly a bobcat, and a rather large and beautiful one at that. Look in the background and you will see an orange road cone for size comparison. As already stated, this was taken off Coleman Valley Rd. less than a mile from downtown Occidental.

Whaaa...? That ain't no mountain lion. The image quality is not so hot, and there's nothing near the critter for size comparison, so I can't tell if it's a leopard, leopard cat, cheetah, ocelot, fishing cat, Geoffroy's cat, kodkod, margay, oncilla, serval (not sure the ears are big enough), or even an unusually spotted housecat. It looks too gracile and too starkly spotted for a lynx or bobcat, though the apparent (but not certain) lack of a long tail is suggestive. The rosettes seem a little too small for a jaguar or a snow leopard, and again it looks a bit too gracile for either of them. Few of the possibilities are species indigenous to this area. More info, please. Your best judgment of its size? Location? Possible animal preserve or...?

[Dixon]

Wow, that's by far the spottiest, most leopardy-looking bobcat I've ever seen (though, sadly, I've never seen a bobcat in person, only pictures). What a gorgeous critter!

I wanna see a real live bobcat in the wild (or even better, a mountain lion). Where should I go to make that happen? Suggestions, please!

[wildflower]

Kinda skinny for a bobcat....but beautiful.
My concern is that the more you talk about this and give details about its location, the more you ENDANGER him/her. There is a lot of fear, misinformation and stupidity about wild animals and in my opinion, this just fuels that.
There are a lot of yahoos around this area that probably would like to hunt him/her.
On the other hand I really appreciate the photos. What a really beautiful cat. I wish him/her a long, happy & healthy life.

[photolite]

I agree it is amazingly spotty. Although I didn't see this one I have seen others around here and several years ago encountered a puma on the Pomo Canyon Trail. I'm attaching an image of a bobcat that I pulled from Wiki that I believe looks similar to the one in the photos.. My Audubon Field Guide also shows other very spotty bobcats.

Wow, that's by far the spottiest, most leopardy-looking bobcat I've ever seen (though, sadly, I've never seen a bobcat in person, only pictures). What a gorgeous critter!

I wanna see a real live bobcat in the wild (or even better, a mountain lion). Where should I go to make that happen? Suggestions, please!

[broadbandersnatch]

Wow, that's by far the spottiest, most leopardy-looking bobcat I've ever seen (though, sadly, I've never seen a bobcat in person, only pictures). What a gorgeous critter!

I wanna see a real live bobcat in the wild (or even better, a mountain lion). Where should I go to make that happen? Suggestions, please!

Coast trail from Tennessee valley. When you get to the top go a little further north. Make first right -(head back towards hwy 1) but make the next left towards Hope House (above zendo,) i have seen many bobcats along that trail.

[jbox]

Whaaa...? That ain't no mountain lion. The image quality is not so hot, and there's nothing near the critter for size comparison, so I can't tell if it's a leopard, leopard cat, cheetah, ocelot, fishing cat, Geoffroy's cat, kodkod, margay, oncilla, serval (not sure the ears are big enough), or even an unusually spotted housecat. It looks too gracile and too starkly spotted for a lynx or bobcat, though the apparent (but not certain) lack of a long tail is suggestive. The rosettes seem a little too small for a jaguar or a snow leopard, and again it looks a bit too gracile for either of them. Few of the possibilities are species indigenous to this area. More info, please. Your best judgment of its size? Location? Possible animal preserve or...?

It's a dog, Dixon.....

[Claire]

It's a dog, Dixon.....

Uh, no, that is a cat. Most probably a bobcat which is up to twice the size of a housecat, and I've seen a lot of them.

It also has the interesting black and white "eyes" on the back of the ears. You can see these in the photo.

[Sara S]

What's really odd is that I noticed that the name of the local trail in the title of this thread was misspelled; since I've only recently moved near here, I had to Google it to be sure I wasn't wrong. Nope.

I admit it: I'm a curmudgeon; but no literate local townies noticed or cared?

Uh, no, that is a cat. Most probably a bobcat which is up to twice the size of a housecat, and I've seen a lot of them.

It also has the interesting black and white "eyes" on the back of the ears. You can see these in the photo.

[Dixon]

...I noticed that the name of the local trail in the title of this thread was misspelled...
I admit it: I'm a curmudgeon; but no literate local townies noticed or cared?

I noticed it, but didn't care. As I've said in other threads, errors such as misspellings are not important enough to make an issue of unless they impact clarity, except in certain situations such as formal writing, proofreading jobs, ads for editing services, etc.

[Barry]

What's really odd is that I noticed that the name of the local trail in the title of this thread was misspelled; since I've only recently moved near here, I had to Google it to be sure I wasn't wrong. Nope.

I admit it: I'm a curmudgeon; but no literate local townies noticed or cared?

That would be me that is not Occupying the Language! Sorry Folks! Fixed!

[Philip Tymon]

Twice the size of a housecat!? Try again. Bobcats, within the normal range, can easily get up to 40 pounds and the record is 49. (I do happen to have a 25 lb housecat, but he's the biggest guy I've ever seen.)

I saw one of these big boys in my backyard just a few weeks ago--- with it's mouth about two inches from the little silkie chicken I was taking care of for a friend of a friend. (Unfortunately, it had apparently gotten one of the others a few days before and was back for more.) A very loud yell managed to scare it away, fortunately, as often they are fairly fearless when prey is within reach. (My backyard is, essentially, Armstrong Woods Park, so not exactly an urban area.)

This is definitely a bobcat. Look it up on Wikipedia and you will see a remarkably similar photo.

They are actually quite common in California, though they will usually endeavor to stay out of sight.

Still, I cringe anytime someone starts telling people where they've seen cougars, bobcats, bear, etc. It just encourages the crazies or the authorities or someone else who's trying to sterilize the world to go mess with them.

Uh, no, that is a cat. Most probably a bobcat which is up to twice the size of a housecat, and I've seen a lot of them.

It also has the interesting black and white "eyes" on the back of the ears. You can see these in the photo.

[Barry]

Again! - Barry


Mountain lion spotted in Sebastopol
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120515/articles/120519690

By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 12:14 p.m.

For the second time in a month, a Sebastopol-area walker has reported seeing a mountain lion on a trail near downtown and the Laguna de Santa Rosa, this time on the north side of Highway 12.

June Hazleton said she was walking her golden retriever north of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center and the Clahan ballfields around 7:30 a.m. Monday when she saw an animal cross the trail about 200 feet in front of her.

She thought it was a dog with an unusually long tail until it turned its head and walked down a trail to the right, toward the water adjacent to an open field that extends toward Occidental Road.

“I didn’t dare go any further,” Hazleton said Tuesday, noting she quickly turned her dog around in the other direction and reported her encounter to police.

She was worried smaller dogs, especially, could be at risk if they walk in the area.

She was not aware of an April 19 incident in which a couple saw a mountain lion cross the Joe Rodota Trail on the south side of Highway 12, near the U.S. Postal Annex on Petaluma Avenue/Highway 116, according to police.

Authorities note that mountain lions live all around Northern California, sometimes venturing into populated areas.

The California Department of Fish and Game says mountain lion attacks on humans are rare.

Additional information is available at www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/lion_faq.html.

[Stiles]

Watch out for Jabberwocky !
They're critically endangered !

Mountain Lion Spotted Near Sebastopol...

[Stiles]

Is anyone sure it was not just a very large bobcat ?

AWESOME!!!!

I saw, very likely this same mountain lion traveling west about ten days ago. He/she crossed 116 in front of my car between Hardcore and Sequoia. It was dusk, he/she bounded across the road only touching the pavement three times. He/she was so fast I didn't even have time to move my foot from the gas to the brake.

We are so blessed to have these creatures among us.

Marty

[Stiles]

Looks more like a Jaguar from Arizona.
That must be someone's exotic pet, or maybe the pic is not even in this area !
Next time I'd like to see a pink one.
Ya....Pink Panther.....I'm pretty sure I've seen a few of those around here.

Occidental. Coleman Valley Rd.

[Stiles]

That bobcat you say was on Coleman Valley looks more yellow-gold than I've ever seen in this area.
And the spots do seem more bold and striking than I've seen.
I've only seen them in tan-fawn or darker, and spots and lines pretty faded.
And I've seen some big ones that some people might mistake for a small Mountain Lion.
Tail and ears are vastly different in Bobcats and Mountain Lions.
As for yellow-gold and spots, indeed it does happen here.
Check out this person's recent awesome pics of one at Doran.
What a cutey !

https://www.flickr.com/photos/233263...n/photostream/

Occidental. Coleman Valley Rd.