Tags:   Waterfall summer watkins glen new york green calming

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Ricketts Glen has bee non my bucket list for many years so I knew it would be a treasure trove.

I was still surprised though to experience one spectacular waterfall after another to the point where thought it would never end.

You can expect to see a video featuring this magical adventure in the coming weeks.

Thanks for looking.
Gavin

Tags:   ricketts glen summer waterfall pano hasselblad forest trees

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Let me share one of the best experiences of my entire life with you.

youtu.be/wYRh2mQ4268

In this video, I come face to face with a big wild cat and it's everything I hoped it would be.

I show you the entire encounter from start to finish and even the exact moment when I capture the shot I waited for so patiently.

The question is, am I making friends with a lynx or a bobcat? One thing I can tell you is that no kebabs were harmed during this encounter.

Things go well and we're getting along great until I try to read a couple of pages of 'Chasing Awe With Gavin Hardcastle' to this potentially dangerous predator. She clearly prefers fiction or perhaps self-help books. Whatever her preference, I'm left looking like a fool.

Will Amanda buy me that 800mm lens for my birthday? Will I put my foot in a hunters snare and what's got this big cat so spooked when it looks over my shoulder?

There's really only one way to find out.

Gavin - Fototripper

Tags:   bobcat lynx wildlife big cats photography fototripper

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Don't tell Amanda but I think I'm in love.

I was driving down a snowy Nova Scotia highway (if you can call it that) today and there she was, casually strolling along the tarmac with her eyes on the lake shore.

I pulled over, grabbed the camera and just followed her down the road while chatting softly to her the whole time.

She was totally unfazed by my presence until I crouched to get a lower angle. As soon as I went into what she must have thought was a predatory stance she bolted into the trees.

I decided to wait 5 mins to see if she would pop out and sure enough, she came for a look at me and then sat in a field next to a creek for a nap.

I followed her into the field and managed to get about 12' from her while I took this shot.

Instead of the crouch, I slowly went into an agonizing squat so as not to scare her off and she seemed OK with it.

This lasted for about an hour until she started looking nervous, tracking something behind me.

This gave me chills as I turned to see what she was looking at, fully expecting a massive cougar to be bearing down on me.

Thankfully it was nothing, but the look on her face gave me the heebie-jeebies. I don't know what she'd seen but she decided it was time to head back to the lake and look for more ducks.

This was the best wildlife encounter of my life so far.

I worry a little about her future though as I suspect that's a cataract in her right eye. A cat that can't see is a cat that can't hunt.

Perhaps I'll build her a cat shed for her senior years.

Thanks for looking
Gavin

Tags:   bobcat nova scotia

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My very last shoot in BC before packing up the cats and moving East.

I'm looking forward to the greens coming back this year but it won't be until May for us Maratimers.

Thanks for looking
Gavin

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