I looked ahead and spotted an animal in the trail ahead.
He was coming slowly towards us.
Stopping to look around...
and then hiding in the tall grass.
My husband kept walking and I wondered how he could keep going toward this wild critter.
So I caught up and he told me it was a cat!
A feral cat! In the vicinity of the baby Bobwhites!
So that was a first for us. We've heard about feral cat sightings on the preserve but we had never encountered one.
We also saw some beautiful deer on this hike at Halpata Tastanaki Preserve (Pruitt Trailhead).
We watched them run through the tall grasses and then they broke out and crossed the trail in front of us.
Aren't they beautiful!
Lots of bird sightings for the day too so I'll include one of them!
Great Crested Flycatcher
It's still hot but we are planning and plotting our hikes for later on when the weather breaks.
Enjoy your week!
Enjoy nature....the strange and the beautiful!
I've had so many people comment with their concern for the feral cat that I need to clarify a few things. I jumped to the conclusion that this was a feral cat. But there are 2 farms to the West of the preserve so it could be a farm cat. It still was very likely hunting for birds but it may have a home. It did not look underfed and it did not act wild. I hiked again today and saw the Bobwhites and heard even more in the grasses along the trail. So I just wanted to add this postscript.
47 comments:
...the swallowtail is nice to see. I have only seen one this year. Stay cool and have a wonderful weekend.
The cat would not be there long if our dog saw it, he would soon chase it off
Wow! That is so weird to see a cat among the critters there. Amazing is with snakes and alligators, feral cats survive. Great photos
Oh my, how lovely you photos are. I especially like the photos of the butterfly. Cathy
Didn't know it was a cat until your last photo. Enjoy the latests Jojo Moyes. Hope you find it.
Nice tour, yes there is so much to see now... the blackbirds are still feeding their second brood... and the storks are out of the nest.
Strange the wildcat, I thought they were brown-grey. The deer are beautiful, I rarely see them in the forest.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures. Many greetings to you.
Beautiful photos. I like your header. Have a nice weekend.
Wow, I guess you DID see a feral cat! What unusual coloring! Yes, they love Bob Whites, and that is why the Bob White population is declining in the area...too many feral cats. That's what we were told when we lived in Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest. Beautiful deer sightings and the Great Crested Flycatcher is wonderful. I've seen some here, but they don't stay in view. I've heard them, however. Glad you could get out for a while. It's really been too hot for much hiking right now. We try to go early or late in the day, if it isn't storming. Enjoy what you can when you can, and thanks for sharing it with us!
I knew it was a cat in the first because I enlarged to see if it was a cat. i feel so bad for him/her, looks like it is starving. has to be hard to catch food and the suprising thing is it has survived the predators. It would not be there if not for humans being so uncaring, letting their cats out un nuteured, dropping them off when they no longer want them.
Diane, I loved the pictures. Especially the butterflies. I just have not seen any around here. The sky could not get much better. Stay safe and cool there. Blessings, xoxo, love, Susie
As much as I love cats, I hope to birds in the preserve will not suffer their presence. It is always so restorative and lovely to visit you. Thank you, aloha!
I do like your deer photographs and beautiful butterflies.
Pleased you can still plan and plot your hikes for later when the weather breaks.
Take care.
All the best Jan
Quite a wonderful time spotting nature
I've seen a few feral cats around here too.
The one you saw looks quite big.
Nice to see the deer!!
What a pretty cat and most likely looking for breakfast. I wish all the feral cats had homes. I just love the deer. Tenoroc (where I work) has no deer. We are isolated from areas where they would thrive. What we have too many of is feral hogs that are so very destructive. Deer are sweeter! Thanks for taking us along on your amazing hikes!
What beautiful photos.
I love the wild cat, nice that you saw it.
I also like the deer and the butterflies.
I wish you a nice weekend.
Greetings Irma
What a pretty cat that is. Sad that it doesn't have a home.
Your head page of the Deer is so beautiful!! I love to see the Deer! You are brave to go hiking when it is so hot! The photos are all so pretty. Soon, it will be cooler and more pleasant for your hikes. Have a good weekend! Love, Aunt Helen
oh that cat looks very strange...i hope it is able to survive in the wild, i guess they do!! beautiful captures of the deer...much better than mine today but mine have special meaning because my sister sent them to me!!!
Hello,
It looked like a strange cat, I guess the coloring is different.
Love the deer and the Great-crested Flycatcher. Pretty butterfly.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
A feral cat! Never seen one before.
Lovely deer!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Both domestic pets and feral cats take a terrible toll on bird populations, and cat lovers are unable or unwilling to face facts about their darlings. It's very sad.
Here's a long quote from the Cornell Laboratory of Birds:
"In North America, cats are second only to habitat loss as the largest human-related cause of bird deaths. It’s estimated that cats kill 1.3–4 billion birds each year in the U.S. alone, with 69% of these kills attributable to feral or unowned cats. This is a staggering number even when compared with the next-largest sources: 599 million estimated to be killed in collisions with windows and 200 million killed by automobiles."
I enjoyed your photos!
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hope the feeral cat doesn't bother the birds. Beautiful photos as always, enjoy your weekend.
Superb outing! Even thought it's hot, Nature just keeps on with its daily routine whether we're there to observe or not.
After the c-a-t images, I loved all the pictures!
Stay cool.
I fear the cat's diet is probably mainly birds. Too bad someone probably abandoned it there to fend for itself.
I can't blame you waiting for cooler weather to hike.
Lovely series of 'critter' photos ~ Deer is awesome and different seeing a cat photo on your post ~ Wow!
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
It troubles me a great deal to see that feral cat, both for the cat itself and for the carnage it will unleash on songbirds.
Lovely cat series and love your header.
Hello Diane,
I like your shots of the deer and birds.
Lovely critters.
Wishing you a happy weekend!
Thank you for sharing your hiking adventures! The photos are fantastic!
The Cats can survive anywhere. Beautiful photographs in the post.
Feral cats don't generally last too long in the woods near here.
I love your deer and birds.
That looks like a BIG cat! The deer are always such a wonderful sight, aren't they? They are so calm and still and dear, just like its name. I smiled when you made the deer photo your Header this week, Diane. Oh, the butterflies you see on your hikes too! Try to stay cool in this heat - we are also having a hot weekend. : )
~Sheri
Wow, at first I didn't think it was a cat, feral cat or otherwise, and then I saw the rest, what a wonderful presentation! Thank you.
Thank you for sharing at MosaicMonday, dear Diane. There are many to read for me, being back from clinic...
There are many different meanings about cats catching birds... they catch mouse too. And that's their nature.
Hugs by Heidrun
So sad that the feral cat doesn't have a home.
I love your shots of the deer and birds.
Hugs and blessings, Diane
Great sighting of the feral cat and the deer. The weather here is also hot.
Dear Diane, when I see cats roaming around in the wild, I'm never sure if they're stray or just come from random farms. Of course, they are a danger to birds and other wildlife. But there were always predators - wild cats, foxes, jackals, whatever, who hunted - and some of these animals are probably also a danger for ferral cats - so I hope, as long as it's a relatively large, relatively wild area, it will be give a balance. Anyway, the cat is a very beautiful animal and I rejoice with you in your sightings of deer, birds and butterflies!
Thank you for your lovely comments on my blog. You wrote about my lavender post: "I guess if you wanted to choose a 'lavender blog friend' you would think of me! Wouldn't we have fun together." Of course I would! And of course we would! 😉😍
Hugs, all the best and have a good week, Traude
🌸🌿❤️🌿🌸
A beautiful sharing Diane. Have s nice week. Thsnk you for linking to Monday WRites
Much💜love
Hi,
Thank you for sharing about the cat. We have feral cats in our neighborhood too. A group of people do try to catch them. A local Veterinary will give them shots for distemper and take care of spay and nurturing.
As always, I enjoy taking hikes with you.
Love, Carla
I'm not a fan of cats because I am highly allergic to them! Luckily I'm NOT allergic to dogs and horses.
I enjoy your photos from your hikes so much. :D Have you ever written a "top ten" round up post of your favorite hikes?
Wildlife make a walk don't they, I'd have loved seeing the deer. Have a lovely week.
Wren x
Loved the pictures of the sweet deer! And the wild kitty too. I hope you do get yourself a dollhouse....and please make pictures for us if you do OK? Glad you stopped by, always great to see you! Mercy...it's too HOT ISN'T IT?! LOL Are you trying to get up real early to go hike before it's too hot, or just putting it on hold til it cools down some? Hugs! PS--yes, I HAD TO bring Dawn home with me, haven't seen one of them IN YEARS!!
love all your animals. Where I live there is a cat pretty much looking like this one. But not that dark. They look pretty weird :)
Hope the kitty does have a home - people just like to dump them off in places like that thinking they can survive on their own. The deer are so pretty with their tawny coats, so sleek this time of year. Hoping you find some relief from the heat. We all look forward to summer and then we remember how hot it can be! x K
Otro bonito reportaje. Siempre encantada de verte. Besos.
What about you? Wonderful pictures! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful day with us and for the update about the cat. Aloha!
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