[Xenospiza]

Bobcat (which had caught a Steller's Jay, California) and Jaguarundi (walking towards me on a road in Linhares, Brazil).

[Steve Babbs]

jungle cat
tiger
leopard cat
lion
leopard
African wild cat
European wild cat
serval
cheetah
caracal
Iberian lynx

Shockingly I've never seen a cat anywhere in The Americas. Hope to rectify that soon.

[Steve Babbs]

While we're talking cats, perhaps I can line up some future twitches. We're do people think the best spot to see bobcats is? Also I'm going to be in Brazil next year, visiting Porto Joffre. If anyone can provide contact details for people who could take me looking for jaguar. One highly recommended guide is already fully booked for when I'll be there next August; so I'm keen to sort it out soon.

[rockfowl]

Originally Posted by Steve Babbs

Also I'm going to be in Brazil next year, visiting Porto Joffre. If anyone can provide contact details for people who could take me looking for jaguar. One highly recommended guide is already fully booked for when I'll be there next August; so I'm keen to sort it out soon.

August is a busy period Steve, many of the guides will be booked a year in advance. Are you intending to stay at Porto Jofre? If so, why do you need a guide assuming that you are intending to hire out a boat and boatman (not cheap) as most of the boatmen know where to look and are very good at finding Jaguars. Eduardo at Jaguar ecolodge, which is north of Jofre but in an ideal situation, runs boat trips from Jofre. There are also several Jaguars 'around' his property which are regularly seen, often at night but two recently at the bridge only a hundred metres from his front gate at 11am. It is near to the Santa Isabel Rd, a dirt road through some forest which is one of the best spotlighting areas around offering excellent chances for smaller cats, particularly Ocelot. If you are really lucky there's an outside chance of Puma, Margay and Jaguarundi (diurnal) which have also been seen recently - http://www.jaguarreserve.com/

Feel free to PM with any queries.

[Steve Babbs]

I've no set intentions Mark, as it is far from clear, for independent travellers, what the best - and hopefully most economical - way is of seeing jaguar, and other cats, is. So I'm certainly open to any suggestions. I've emailed the Jaguar Lodge.

[skink1978]

Originally Posted by Steve Babbs

While we're talking cats, perhaps I can line up some future twitches. We're do people think the best spot to see bobcats is?

Bobcat sightings seem to be pretty random although many people seem to have luck around the national parks of California.

There was a female and cub living around Cave Creek Ranch near Portal, SE Arizona in 2009 although I failed to see them over the short period I visited the property. The cats were harassing the White-tailed Deer on the morning I left!

I would highly recommend Cave Creek Ranch to anyone visiting the area, and it’s the nearest to a Bobcat stakeout I’ve heard about.

My Bobcat sightings were both in Texas. One quickly crossed the road in front of my vehicle while I was driving through Big Bend NP late at night. Incidentally, this park has more than its fair share Mountain Lion sightings.

A few days later I was on a remote road north of Alpine when a cat ambled across the road in broad daylight. The ease the animal jumped the high stock fences bordering the road was amazing, as was the amount of Scaled Quails and Meadow Larks that flushed from the scrub once the Bobcat had crossed the track.

edit: The Cave Creek Bobcat is still around according to the website diary.

[Jos Stratford]

Originally Posted by skink1978

Bobcat sightings seem to be pretty random although many people seem to have luck around the national parks of California.

Exactly, my two Bobcats were both at random localities in California, neither in areas I particularly expected mammals of note and neither in national parks.

[Andrew Whitehouse]

My Bobcat was in the Marin Headlands, within ten miles of downtown San Francisco.

[Mysticete]

Bobcats were seen every day by someone during my 3 day stay at Rio Benson State Park along the Texas/Mexico border. I only saw one, and it was only the hindquarters, but other people had much better views, including an animal sleeping in the middle of the path. That park as well as some of the parks along the Texas coast (Aransas) must be the best places in the world for Bobcat.

How about Mountain Lions? Now those are much more difficult (at least in North America).

[Steve Babbs]

I seem to remember Richard Webb was attempting/has attempted to see all the world's cats. I'm not sure if he's ever on Bird Forum, but I'd love to know how he did. Especially if it got me some sights.

[skink1978]

Originally Posted by Steve Babbs

I seem to remember Richard Webb was attempting/has attempted to see all the world's cats. I'm not sure if he's ever on Bird Forum, but I'd love to know how he did. Especially if it got me some sights.

According to Surfbirds he has seen 27 cat species. Impressive but some way to go yet.

[Steve Babbs]

This is how I'd like to see bobcat:

http://trishcarneyphotographs.blogsp...us-122909.html

[Farnboro John]

Originally Posted by Jos Stratford

Exactly, my two Bobcats were both at random localities in California, neither in areas I particularly expected mammals of note and neither in national parks.

Mine too, up one of the canyon roads behind Monterey. I was looking for Wild Turkey (dipped) near dusk, and was put onto the cat by a couple of mobbing Scrub Jays.

John

[lewis20126]

Originally Posted by Steve Babbs

This is how I'd like to see bobcat:

http://trishcarneyphotographs.blogsp...us-122909.html

Seen two very well - one in the campsite below Pinnacles National Monument in California (a good Lawrence's Goldfinch site - or was) and one at the Attwater Praire Chicken reserve in Texas. Both were fairly tame - surprising give that this fabulous species is hunted in many states (an outrage IMO).

cheers, alan

[Jos Stratford]

Originally Posted by lewis20126

Seen two very well - one in the campsite below Pinnacles National Monument in California (a good Lawrence's Goldfinch site - or was)

Was, if judging by my visit

One of my Bobcats wasn't far from here, at the reservoir a few kilometres further north. I was standing one side of a gate, it walked straight past on the other side, just a few metres distant.

[vamltd08]

Lion (India, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana)
Cheetah (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana)
Leopard (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana)
Caracal (Botswana)
Serval (Kenya)
Genet (Kenya)
Tiger (India)

A trip to the Pantanal is on my wish list and hope to see a Jaguar then.

[YourBirdOasis]

I too have a rather modest list (if two things even constitute a list...):

-Bobcat
-Mountain Lion

(both seen in central California)

[skink1978]

Originally Posted by vamltd08

Lion (India, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana)
Cheetah (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana)
Leopard (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana)
Caracal (Botswana)
Serval (Kenya)
Genet (Kenya)
Tiger (India)

A trip to the Pantanal is on my wish list and hope to see a Jaguar then.

Very impressive list, but genet isn't an actual cat. Very jealous of your Caracal, Serval and Asiatic Lion.

[Steve Babbs]

Do I win?

I suspect someone will come along and put me in my place soon.

[ovenbird43]

Just one! Bobcat. My few sightings have all been at random times and places throughout the midwest.

None of my travels throughout the Neotropics have produced any of the cats... yet.

[Steve Babbs]

It's possibly another thread but I wonder what cats could be considered 'twitchable' i.e. you could go to a certain site and have a 'reasonable' chance of seeing one. I'm keen to get as many as possible but, after going for jaguar next year, I think I'm really going to struggle to get new ones. (Mind you if I dip jaguar I can just try for that again) Of course there is usually lots of other things to look for. So I suspect I'll go to somewhere where there is a slim chance of bobcat and convince myself I'm really there for the birds.

[Mysticete]

hhhmm...twitchable cats other than species you have seen would Jaguar (Pantanal) and Mountain Lion (Chile). There are trips to target Snow Leopard, but those are hardly guaranteed. Bobcat has already been mentioned here. With effort I am sure one could find one in South Texas.

[Steve Babbs]

Where in Chile for mountain lion? Just in case I'm not completely bankrupted by my attempt to get jaguar on my list next year.

[Mysticete]

Torres Del Paine National Park (perhaps misspelled, but close enough). I think Naturetreks and Wild Journeys do tours targeting that Park, and Jon Hall has also seen them there I believe.

[Dave Kennedy]

Lion (Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa)
Leopard (Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa)
Caracal (South Africa)
Serval (Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe)
African Wild Cat (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana)
Cheetah (Namibia, South Africa)

Not such a great variety! But I've seen lots of 'em, with the exception of Caracal and Serval, which take a bit of finding.
Dave