Livermore native Sue Crow Griffin’s image of affection displayed by a mother bobcat to her offspring along an Alameda County walking path has earned the 2021 grand prize in the 10 th annual California Wildlife Photo of the Year contest.
“When you see this image, your jaw will drop,” said Bonham. “What’s special about this particular image is the way it shows emotion. There’s caring here, love and a sense of tenderness. And on top of that, it’s just a super cool photograph.”
Traditionally the winner’s legislative representative invites him or her to the floor of the California Legislature to announce and honor the winning photo. For the last two years, the presentation has been virtual due to pandemic restrictions.
Griffin recalled how she captured the shot. She said the adult bobcat had just called the youngster to her to offer a fresh caught ground squirrel. The pair greeted each other on the limb of a felled tree before the youngster accepted the squirrel and disappeared into the wooded background.
“I know we’re not supposed to put human emotions on the cats, but it was just so tender,” she said. “The mom had brought back the food; the kitten had eaten and then they were sharing some time on this log and then they butted heads—it was just precious.”
Sue Crow Griffin’s winning photo captures mama bobcat and her offspring.
Griffin began walking as a way to improve her health and eventually started taking pictures of what she would see on her journeys. She discovered all sorts of wildlife on her daily outings, ranging from bald and golden eagles to coyotes, foxes and a wide variety of birds. But the bobcats are what did it, she said, noting that she didn’t have any experience with photography prior to her walks.
Bonham selected the grand prize winner from 17 finalists. The contest had a record 741 entries this year.
In addition to Griffin’s bobcat photograph, the finalists on display include:
- Long-tailed Weasel races across field (Douglas Croft)
- Pacific Forktail Damselfly (Andrew Lincoln)
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (Larry Whiting)
- Urbane Digger Bee pollinating in white cosmos (Andrew Lincoln)
- Bald-faced Hornet verses California Yellowjacket (Robin Agarwal)
- Osprey catches morning meal (Douglas Phillips)
- Bald Eagles in the Angeles National Forest (Andrew Lee)
- Yellowed-bellied Marmots in Yosemite National Park (Vishal Subramanyan)
- Coyote leaping for food in Yosemite National Park (Alice Cahill)
- Golden Eagle versus Ground Squirrel (Shravan Sundaram)
- Northern Pygmy Owl in Santa Cruz Mountains (Robin Agarwal)
- Spotted Owls at Golden Gate National Recreation Area (Maximilian Rabbitt Tomita)
- Sea lions at Channel Islands National Park (Ken Howard)
- California Condors at Tejon Ranch (Loi Nguyen)
- White-tailed Kites mid-air food transfer (Don Henderson)
- Great Gray Owl at Yosemite National Park (Vishal Subramanyan)
Two photographs received special recognition. California Watchable Wildlife chose Alice Cahill’s shot of a leaping coyote as a favorite, while the Sierra Nevada Conservancy picked Vishal Subramanyan’s photo of a pair of Yellowed-bellied Marmots. Both were taken in Yosemite National Park. n
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To view all of these photos, go to www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=240797574895527&set=a.237260935249191
