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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

6:45 am, Sitting on the porch with coffee. Overcast morning. A  
substantial animal launched itself from the dam into the pond. Then  
another. Much thrashing around in the water. Another animal followed  
but stayed out of the water. Water animal would go onto land, then  
quick movement, then go back into the water. Repeat. Old eyes can't  
get enough detail at four hundred feet and bad light. Moved slowly  
into house for binoculars. I'll be darned. It is a bobcat on land, a  
big one, with a long tail, so at first I though a young mountain lion.  
White on backs of ears, white at end of tail. Young otter came up out  
of the water, bobcat stalked it as if to attack, otter leaped back  
into the water. Are they playing or is this for real? Then a big  
otter, probably the mother, attacked the bobcat which made a quick  
retreat. All otters back in water, now clearly feeding on fish. Bobcat  
went around the end of the dam into a peninsula and onto a log,  
watched the otters thrashing in the water. Reminded me of a typical  
domestic cat with a strong hunting instinct, it was obviously  
fascinated with the young otters, for food or play, who knows.

Too much fun not to share. Whispered up the stairs to sleepyhead Chris  
to come see the show. Water movement subsided, otters must have swum  
upstream. At first I thought our movements scared the cat away but  
then it appeared, moved across the land to the old log bridge, went  
over that and up the driveway. No hurry.

A fawn appeared on the lawn walking from East toward the water. Mother  
soon followed. They went down to the stream, waded out into the water  
and drank. Chris said it looks like they are bathing. Deer moved out  
of sight upstream. Quick movement on the other side, I think it was  
the bobcat. Lots of snorts from both doe and fawn. Fawn reappeared.  
Mother doing battle? Then mom came back. All is well for now. Now I  
know the difference in snort sounds between mature deer and fawns.  
Invaluable knowledge, no doubt.

Next scene is at the dog porch where I groom Benny. A little Yellow- 
throated thrasher? energetically pulled dog hair out of the brush. How  
do they keep holding on to the previous pulls while they get more?  
Then he flew off to present his treasures to his favorite nest-maker.  
This scene repeated several times.

Now back to our regular programming.