jurek
Well-known member
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that if a single man goes to the forest without binoculars, he must see something rare.
After work, I decided to go for a short, easy walk in the suburban forest. I took a wrong turn, and decided to drive instead a short distance further. Walking into the forest, I heard two Roe Deer alarming like crazy. I knew there are lynx in this forest, and Iread that Roe Deer alarms at a lynx differently than at a human, so why not go there? It was as good plan as anything. Not unexpectedly I saw nothing. Then I thought again: suppose there was a lynx, what it might do? Because Roe Deer in the evening commonly go out to feed on meadows, possibly he would go there. So I turned back towards the forest edge.
I heard a Blackbird alarming. I went on the junction of the path, and there was a Lynx standing on the road, just 10 meters or so from me! I kept quiet and immobile and stood behind the bush growing on the roadside, and the lynx glanced several times in my direction but stayed on the road. It started drinking from a pool on the road. I tried watching and filmed with my mobile phone. A sign of times.
Then a cyclist appeared on the road to the side. I just gave him a look and showed an open hand, and he understood and stopped. The lynx in the meantime withdrew into the undergrowth on the roadside. I waved to the cyclist thanks and please go, but he came to me curious what was going on. I showed him the lynx video. He said that he is also a naturalist, or maybe something different altogether. I could not understand his accent. But he stayed there, looking into the bushes. I instead decided to walk forward on the road, looking on my way just in case the Lynx was hiding in the roadside bushes. It was not there. A Raven alarmed short distance away. The lynx probably went there, on the path I walked previously. The cyclist on the path, in the meantime, looked intently into the bushes. I waited some more time, and the cyclist waved me. I went back, and saw that the lynx came back and was resting in the bushes near the road! Incredible. We watched it further.
It was getting dark, and I could not see the lynx anymore. The cyclist waved me goodbye, and ridden away. I decided to stay a little longer, maybe the lynx shows itself again. I backed a short distance to the road junction, and sat under a tree. Just in case the lynx was less alarmed by a sitting man. Most animals are.
Suddenly the lynx appeared, and walked towards me until it was just five meters or so. It stopped and watched me. I took more pictures with my mobile. The flash seemed to make him uneasy, so I made a film. Then the lynx walked a little, and sat on the path ca six meters from me, watching me . It scratched itself and started licking his paws.
The night was falling. A Tawny Owl hooted at distance. Then another Tawny Owl flew over the lynx, perched on the tree I was sitting under, and started hooting. Then it flew back, and sat on a tree 5 meters above the lynx, looking at him. And started hooting again. A second Tawny Owl answered, and they started flying around, hooting like mad.
What the lynx was doing, sitting for many minutes? Was it hiding, waiting for me to pass? It would not do it on the open road. Was it endlessly curious at me? Possibly. Was it simply resting? Most likely so. Was it hoping that it can attack me – this was unlikely, it was not tense and I was much bigger than him. What the Tawny Owls were doing? Were they mobbing the lynx? They would probably use the alarm call, not the territorial hoot. Were they arguing between themselves? Possibly, for both sounded female, like the imperfect, scratching version of the territorial hoot.
Minutes passed, and it got so dark that I could no longer see the lynx. The owls flew away, still calling to each other. I decided to take one last picture of the lynx. I rolled myself on my back, then started walking, crouched, as slowly as possible and not directly towards the lynx. I was less than 10 meters ago when he got up. I knew I came too close, so I backed away and looked. It moved slowly, a dark shape in the darkness. And went away home.
I realized that it is possibly the best nature observation I had ever in my life. How often one can watch a shy wild cat in the open, just few meters away for so long, with the pair of owls interacting? I had no binoculars, but they were not necessary.
Videos;
https://vimeo.com/420457219
https://vimeo.com/420457397
https://vimeo.com/420458030
After work, I decided to go for a short, easy walk in the suburban forest. I took a wrong turn, and decided to drive instead a short distance further. Walking into the forest, I heard two Roe Deer alarming like crazy. I knew there are lynx in this forest, and Iread that Roe Deer alarms at a lynx differently than at a human, so why not go there? It was as good plan as anything. Not unexpectedly I saw nothing. Then I thought again: suppose there was a lynx, what it might do? Because Roe Deer in the evening commonly go out to feed on meadows, possibly he would go there. So I turned back towards the forest edge.
I heard a Blackbird alarming. I went on the junction of the path, and there was a Lynx standing on the road, just 10 meters or so from me! I kept quiet and immobile and stood behind the bush growing on the roadside, and the lynx glanced several times in my direction but stayed on the road. It started drinking from a pool on the road. I tried watching and filmed with my mobile phone. A sign of times.
Then a cyclist appeared on the road to the side. I just gave him a look and showed an open hand, and he understood and stopped. The lynx in the meantime withdrew into the undergrowth on the roadside. I waved to the cyclist thanks and please go, but he came to me curious what was going on. I showed him the lynx video. He said that he is also a naturalist, or maybe something different altogether. I could not understand his accent. But he stayed there, looking into the bushes. I instead decided to walk forward on the road, looking on my way just in case the Lynx was hiding in the roadside bushes. It was not there. A Raven alarmed short distance away. The lynx probably went there, on the path I walked previously. The cyclist on the path, in the meantime, looked intently into the bushes. I waited some more time, and the cyclist waved me. I went back, and saw that the lynx came back and was resting in the bushes near the road! Incredible. We watched it further.
It was getting dark, and I could not see the lynx anymore. The cyclist waved me goodbye, and ridden away. I decided to stay a little longer, maybe the lynx shows itself again. I backed a short distance to the road junction, and sat under a tree. Just in case the lynx was less alarmed by a sitting man. Most animals are.
Suddenly the lynx appeared, and walked towards me until it was just five meters or so. It stopped and watched me. I took more pictures with my mobile. The flash seemed to make him uneasy, so I made a film. Then the lynx walked a little, and sat on the path ca six meters from me, watching me . It scratched itself and started licking his paws.
The night was falling. A Tawny Owl hooted at distance. Then another Tawny Owl flew over the lynx, perched on the tree I was sitting under, and started hooting. Then it flew back, and sat on a tree 5 meters above the lynx, looking at him. And started hooting again. A second Tawny Owl answered, and they started flying around, hooting like mad.
What the lynx was doing, sitting for many minutes? Was it hiding, waiting for me to pass? It would not do it on the open road. Was it endlessly curious at me? Possibly. Was it simply resting? Most likely so. Was it hoping that it can attack me – this was unlikely, it was not tense and I was much bigger than him. What the Tawny Owls were doing? Were they mobbing the lynx? They would probably use the alarm call, not the territorial hoot. Were they arguing between themselves? Possibly, for both sounded female, like the imperfect, scratching version of the territorial hoot.
Minutes passed, and it got so dark that I could no longer see the lynx. The owls flew away, still calling to each other. I decided to take one last picture of the lynx. I rolled myself on my back, then started walking, crouched, as slowly as possible and not directly towards the lynx. I was less than 10 meters ago when he got up. I knew I came too close, so I backed away and looked. It moved slowly, a dark shape in the darkness. And went away home.
I realized that it is possibly the best nature observation I had ever in my life. How often one can watch a shy wild cat in the open, just few meters away for so long, with the pair of owls interacting? I had no binoculars, but they were not necessary.
Videos;
https://vimeo.com/420457219
https://vimeo.com/420457397
https://vimeo.com/420458030
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