A Southern California photographer has captured video footage of a mountain lion expressing keen interest in one of several motion-sensor cameras placed on a trail at night.
In Mark Girardeau’s footage, captured this week in the Orange County wilderness, the female cougar initially appears bewildered by the bright flashes.
She then seems to pose, briefly, before cautiously walking around the tripod and placing her face to the back of the camera, as if to peek through the viewfinder.
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Girardeau, a renowned photographer from Huntington Beach, told For The Win Outdoors that he had left seven cameras in strategic areas on private property in Trabuco Canyon.
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“At the exact time the camera was capturing the images of the cat, I was at the indoor rock-climbing gym with some friends, 20 miles away,” Girardeau said.
The mountain lion was named Cookie by the landowner. Four of Girardeau’s cameras captured footage of her as she hunted on one of her favorite trails.
“I’ve struggled for several years to consistently get mountain lions and finally have been getting a few in a couple different areas,” Girardeau explained. “When looking for camera locations, I look for game trails which are paths made naturally by the animals, and I also look for tracks of different animals.”
His footage reveals the stealthy, curious nature of these nocturnal hunters, and Girardeau is fortunate to have had multiple cameras in order to capture this scene.
“The last time I got a DLSR shot of one, I did not have a second camera recording the reaction on video, so this is cool because otherwise I would have had no idea that it was checking out the back of the camera,” he said.
More than likely, Girardeau acknowledged, Cookie was more interested in his scent than the camera or tripod.
–Video and images are courtesy of Mark Girardeau/Orange County Outdoors