The Cats are Back (II)

Dark moon, short days in late December...perfect cat conditions. I promised more cats ... and here they are. December 29 and 30 were big cat nights near the Lodge. The previous post showed an ocelot and jaguar moving through the area ... and here they are again.

Lots of cat activity at this location on the Sylvester Village road near the intersection with the River Trail. Lots of bird activity too. I understand from the Lodge managers that the bench has been relocated back to its previous position. While the bench doesn't necessarily add much to the camera trap images, the real reason was to minimize disturbance to the nesting Ornate Hawk-Eagles. These are magnificent birds and I have a magnificent image of one, coming right up!

The Cats are Back (I)

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It's a nice way to start the New Year with the cat-loaded camera trap results from late December at Chan Chich Lodge. I haven't posted camera trap photos in a long time. Of the three cameras we had earlier in 2010, only one now is operational -- and it has had its share of problems.

But look at the interesting results for the nights of 28 and 29th December! First a male ocelot strolls by and the next night, a male jaguar. Going to my jaguar database, I can't find a match for this fellow, so perhaps he is fairly new on the scene.

The bench, for those that may be wondering, as been moved to offer optimal viewing of an Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest in progress. You can get an idea of size, comparing the bench to the cats.

Stayed tuned ... more cats coming right up.