{"id":65826,"date":"2025-10-08T00:09:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T00:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/65826\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T00:09:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T00:09:12","slug":"acclaimed-big-cat-photographer-captures-striking-photos-of-elusive-bobcats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/65826\/","title":{"rendered":"Acclaimed Big Cat Photographer Captures Striking Photos of Elusive Bobcats"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Two<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for adjectives for bobcats, there\u2019s stealthy or very stealthy. However, that doesn\u2019t stop award-winning wildlife photographer Steve Winter<\/a> from capturing incredible photos of the elusive wildcats. <\/p>\n

Capturing sharp, high-resolution photos of bobcats in the wild is both difficult and tantalizing because these animals are elusive, typically avoid humans, blend into their surroundings, and they\u2019re fast and agile.<\/p>\n

\"ACopyright Steve Winter, courtesy of The Nature Conservancy <\/p>\n

Award-winning nature photographer Steve Winter<\/a> used wireless photo traps to document bobcats in New Jersey, including at nighttime and in snowy conditions. His well-lit photo of a bobcat kitten is on the cover of Nature Conservancy Magazine (2025 \/ Issue 3).<\/p>\n

\"AA bobcat kitten and mother near The Nature Conservancy\u2019s Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve in New Jersey (Copyright Steve Winter\/courtesy The Nature Conservancy) Bobcats in the Wild <\/p>\n

\u201c50 years ago,\u201d said Nature Conservancy magazine<\/a>, \u201cbobcats vanished from the State of New Jersey. Wildlife scientists reintroduced them, but to survive a changing climate and increasing urbanization, these felines will need more room to roam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cover story was written by environmental journalist Sharon Guynup, spouse of photographer Winter. <\/p>\n

\"AA bobcat crosses through a forest in northwestern New Jersey (copyright Steve Winter\/courtesy The Nature Conservancy) Credentials <\/p>\n

Born in Indiana, photojournalist Winter started at the Black Star agency and migrated to nature photography.<\/p>\n

For more than three decades, Winter has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine. Specializing in photography of big cats, Winter is widely quoted and honored<\/a> for his nature work. He was named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year and received top nature story honors from World Press Photo. Winter is two-time winner of Picture of the Year International\u2019s Global Vision Award.<\/p>\n

In 2022, he founded Big Cat Voices<\/a> to advocate for large felines.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy contribution,\u201d Winter says, \u201cis through storytelling: photos, magazine articles, and documentary films.\u201d
He hopes his work inspires his audience to help protect big cats. <\/p>\n

Photographing Bobcats in New Jersey <\/p>\n

Winter photographed bobcats in the wild at The Nature Conservancy\u2019s Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve in New Jersey, some 60 miles northwest of New York City. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe preserve (700+ acres) is a habitat stronghold within Bobcat Alley, a vital corridor of protected land that The Nature Conservancy and partners are working to create in northwestern New Jersey,\u201d says the conservation group<\/a>. \u201cIconic mammals like black bears, red foxes, and state-endangered bobcats<\/a> can thrive in this greenway, which connects critical migratory habitat between and along ridges of the Kittatinny and Highlands mountains, subranges of North America\u2019s Appalachian Mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ASteve Winter sets up camera in northern New Jersey, documenting bobcats for The Nature Conservancy <\/p>\n

In narrow pathways, Winter set up camera traps, using an ultra-wide 10-24mm lens and weatherproof housings for the cameras and flash units. Five-frame shots were triggered when bobcats crossed a beam; aperture was keyed by the flash.<\/p>\n

\"ASteve Winter\u2019s camera installation in northern New Jersey, supported by rocks <\/p>\n

How long did the project take? \u201cLonger than I thought,\u201d said Winter, describing bobcats as \u201ca bit skittish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weather was not a factor except for rain which curtails bobcats\u2019 movements. The camera flash would cause some bobcats to stop for a flash or two, and then the cats kept moving, Winter said. Curious sub-adult bobcats might stop and check out the camera box by smelling it.<\/p>\n

With decades of experience and global awards, Winter is still confounded when his wireless equipment doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoodoo, I call it voodoo,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Conservationists and New Jersey wildlife officials applaud Winter\u2019s bobcat photos, documenting the species\u2019 recovery and its beauty in the wild.<\/p>\n

\"ABobcat in the snow (copyright Steve Winter\/courtesy The Nature Conservancy) Bobcats As a Cultural Symbol <\/p>\n

The bobcat is a Native American cultural symbol for persistence, independence, and clear vision. Bobcats also can represent greed and selfishness. <\/p>\n

In sports, the bobcat is a mascot at Texas State University and Ohio University. At The Nature Conservancy, the senior photo editor (Alex Snyder) is a double-degree graduate of Ohio University\u2019s School of Visual Communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cI jumped at the chance to work on a story about bobcats,\u201d says Snyder.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

\"ABobcat statue at Ohio University (photo courtesy of Ohio University) The Allure of Bobcats for Photographers <\/p>\n

At times, the elusive bobcat appears in trail-cam shots. On August 15, Field & Stream published<\/a> a list of \u201c60 Craziest Trail Camera Photos We\u2019ve Ever Seen,\u201d which included a couple of images of bobcats and deer.<\/p>\n

But in-focus camera shots are rarer. Wildlife photographer Randy Robbins wrote on PetaPixel<\/a> in 2021 that \u201cit\u2019s usually a fleeting glimpse, as they see you about the same time you see them and then they disappear into the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robbins, based in California, shared the story of his three-year quest to photograph a bobcat, finally capturing this image with an infrared-triggered camera trap.<\/p>\n

\"ABobcat photo by Randy Robbins (2021) <\/p>\n

Wildlife conservation photographer and filmmaker Sarah Killingsworth, based in Marin County, California, is impressed by the adaptability of bobcats.<\/p>\n

\u201cBobcats live throughout the Bay Area,\u201d she told Bay Nature in 2021<\/a>, \u201cand the march of development into their habitat has forced them to adapt to an increasingly urban life. Bobcats are without question my favorite species to watch and photograph. That passion has led me to observe the same bobcats over years, including a truly special mother who has raised multiple litters of kittens in a suburban environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did Killingsworth take this suburban photo? <\/p>\n

Bobcat kittens on a fence and tree limb, waiting while the mother bobcat hunts for food. (Photo: copyright Sarah Killingsworth) <\/p>\n

\u201cWith a long lens from across the street,\u201d she says. These kittens were born in a backyard nearby. <\/p>\n

Perhaps another adjective \u2014 in addition to stealthy \u2014 also applies to bobcats: patient. <\/p>\n

About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re looking for adjectives for bobcats, there\u2019s stealthy or very stealthy. However, that doesn\u2019t stop award-winning wildlife…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65827,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[264,44798,44799,15406,1664,61,60,3738,44800,82,44801,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-65826","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-bigcats","10":"tag-bobcat","11":"tag-cats","12":"tag-conservation","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-nature","16":"tag-photojournalism","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-stevewinter","19":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}