Bobcats & Bucks
Driving to San Jose last night, took a break at Rancho San Antonio for a quick hike. It was 6PM and everything had a warm, early evening glow. Fifteen minutes into the hike, about 100 ft up a grassy hill, and just entering a little grove of oaks, a bobcat crossed my trail. At first I thought it was a cat, but the white fur around its but, and the distinctive peaked ears definitely described the bobcat. I feel so lucky, because I had heard of them in these hills, and at this park, all my life, but had never run into one. Usually I see quails here, and deer. Some other folks on the trail said they’d seen “this guy” around a lot.
Then, on the way down the hill not ten minutes later, an adolescent deer buck with huge antlers bounds out of the brush to my right, near a little creek bed, and runs across the trail into a meadow, then starts eating the top of the grass (it’s really high). This is the most wildlife I’ve ever seen at one time, at this park! And I was only there for 25 minutes! Too funny.
Ah, Rancho San Antonio. One of my favorite South Bay parks where I used to run cross country often. Before the Cathoic Church sold off the land to developers who built expensive homes next to the park, before the parking lot was paved, I used to sleep quiet nights in my VW van there, waking up to the strong musky dawn smell of the tall grass and foxtails. Seen plenty of quail, deer (up close for minutes on end), and saw a couple (and heard more) rattlers. Saw a bobcat there once, too. Small animal farm there for the kiddies, as well. Very cool, Anna, that you got that much wildlife to see in such a short time, especially considering how many more people use that park than fifteen years ago.