Dates: December 13th-16th, 2018
Location: Mill Valley, California
Price: $1495
Participants: 4 (sold out)
Wild Cat Difficulty: Medium
The central coast of California boasts one of the highest densities of bobcats in all of the United States. Join us on our bobcat photography tour to find this incredible feline. Your tour leaders have over fifteen years experience photographing bobcats in Marin County, the location for this workshop. Bobcats have a difficulty rating of medium, this means that for the duration of the trip, we expect to definitely see a bobcat, and have at least one, but probably multiple encounters, with good photographic opportunities*.
What to Bring
Photo Equipment: We recommend bringing at least one SLR camera, a telephoto lens at least 300mm long, and a tripod or monopod.
Clothing: California has a Mediterranean climate which means that the mornings are rather cold while the afternoons get hot. This means its best to wear lots of layers that can be taken on and off during the day. Also bring a rain jacket and rain pants if you have them. If you are prone to getting cold, you may want to bring a beanie and gloves.
Shoes: Running or hiking shoes.
Travel: Fly into San Francisco airport (SFO), where you can catch a taxi or ride share to your hotel. We recommend staying at the Holiday Inn Express or the Acqua Hotel in Mill Valley. Plan to land on the 13th of December before 9pm. Depart late Sunday, after 7pm or early Monday morning.
Accommodations: Are not included in the workshop fee. We recommend staying at the Holiday Inn Express, or the Acqua Hotel in Mill Valley, but please ask me if you have questions about where else you may stay.
Food: Food is included in the workshop fee, however, alcohol at meals is not.
Transportation: You will be responsible for getting to and from the airport. Once at the hotel, transportation to and from the field is included in the workshop fee.
Schedule:
Day 1. December 13th. Arrive at SFO or travel to Mill Valley, California. We will meet for a welcome dinner in Mill Valley.
Day 2. December 14th. We will spend the morning and evening hiking through bobcat habitat. As long as the light is good for photography, we will be in the field (which means extended time during overcast days).
Day 3. December 15th. Same as the previous day.
Day 4. December 16th. Same as the previous day. Depart from SFO after 7pm.
Optional Extension ($600 per person)
Day 5. December 17. Spend the day photographing wildlife in Point Reyes National Seashore.
Physical Requirements: You need to be in reasonable shape for this bobcat photography tour. We may hike up to five miles per day to find bobcats. The terrain can be steep and uneven.
Deposit: $350 will secure your spot in the photo tour. I will ask for this after you sign-up, or if you contact me directly.
What’s included in the price: Transportation to and from the field from your hotel, meals, photographic and guide services of Sebastian Kennerknecht.
What’s not included in the price: Flights and other travel to and from the location/hotel, accommodations, and anything not listed in the “What’s included in the price” list above.
*Wild Cat Difficulty: Wild cats can be very hard to photograph subjects, they require a lot of patience and dedication. This means spending significant amounts of time searching for them, hours and possibly days without a sighting. Bobcats have a difficulty rating of medium, this means that for the duration of the trip, we expect to have at least one, but probably multiple encounters, with good photographic opportunities. We cannot however guarantee with complete certainty that we will see or photograph any bobcats. Please do know that we have organized the trip to maximize our chances to encounter and photograph this incredible feline.
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Exclusive Tour Offer: After attending this photo tour you will also receive my very own Bobcat Locality Guide that offers incredibly detailed locations for observing and photographing bobcats in the wild, including spots not covered in this tour.
Other Possible Species to Photograph (underlined species are the most commonly seen):
Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemonionus)
Coyote (Canis latrans)
California Quail (Callipepla californica)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani)
Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargeneteus)
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)