Tag: animals

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 12, 20259:36 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Cowbell

I warned you, held back, and now release the torrent of kitties to clear out the backlog of the photographed but unpublished. So don’t be too surprised if this place feels like a cat colony for a while.

We reach back to Feb. 5, 2024 to present a shorthair seen in the yard of a house near where Lincoln and Vermont streets meet. The Featured Image marks where my wife and I first saw the, ah, security guard putty-tat. In the companion shot, he approaches us, but we never connected. While wanting pats from us, the friendly feline couldn’t cross over the decorative and protective hedge.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 11, 202510:01 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Brisk

I don’t recall why some kitties have been ignored. I think that I thought this shorthair might be Cuddles, as they were seen about a block or so apart. But on closer examination, they are distinctly different.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on Nov. 5, 2023. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/1000 sec, 10: 44 a.m. PDT. Nickname: Brisk.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 9, 20259:15 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Kello

I detest Daylight Saving Time and the turning of clocks forward one hour in the Spring. Today, PDT resumes, and I would prefer Standard Time all year long. The naturally occurring daylight cycle better aligns with my Circadian rhythm—and yours, too.

That introduction means to prepare you for this fine feline’s nickname: Kello, which is Finnish for clock. I saw the kitty today, while walking with my wife along Texas Street in North Park. Being beyond the neighborhood boundary, Kello joins the esteemed group of honorarians—35 in all.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 3, 202510:12 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Sage

The march through the backlog of unpublished putty-tats continues; this one is from June 28, 2023. I have seen the kitty many times since then—yes, recently—but have yet to get a portrait better than this shot. When better is pretty bad, what does that say, huh?

I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/800 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 5:05 p.m. Nicknamed for the partial name of the flowers, Sage likes to sunbathe most afternoons.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 20259:45 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Mystic

At long last, we blast through the big backlog of unpublished kitties, starting with a tabby taken on Oct. 21, 2023, using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The shorthair appeared in a driveway along Meade about a block beyond the neighborhood boundary. Hence, the honorary designation.

This fine feline is also the thirty-fourth member of the esteemed group of honorarians, joining: AI, Boo, Buddies, Charmer, Chill, Coal, Comber, Cotton, Envy, Esther, Fancy, Floofy, Guapo, Liberty, Lonesome, Jade, Mona, Moophie, Mousy, Ninja, Oliver, Too, Promise, Queenie, Pussyfoot, Rascal, Raven, Sammy, Shakey, Tag and Tig, Timber, Tom and Jerry, and Tula.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 23, 20258:22 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Mango Cat

While walking along Meade Avenue, on Jan. 20, 2025, I turned to see what was the movement behind a fence. A (possibly senior) cat sat grooming. I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and put the 10x zoom capabilities to work.

Vitals, for the Featured Image: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/800 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 1:49 p.m. PST. Real name: Mango Cat. I love it. We visited briefly, then off he departed.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 10, 20259:26 pm

Hey, Birdie

One of my neighbors puts out food for just about every kind of critter that lives in University Heights—the exception being coyotes. As such, she has possums, racoons, and skunks strutting into her yard at night. The day belongs to birds, butterflies, cats, and dogs, among others.

While we visited on Nov. 27, 2024, a white-crowned sparrow dropped by for a bite of breakfast. I easily captured the Featured Image, using Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/125 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 9:51 a.m. PST. Composed as shot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 8, 20259:16 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Tip and Tap

We break from the back of the queue to nearly the front. My wife and I passed this apparent bonded pair while walking home from Pizza Hut, Dec. 23, 2024. We fetched our Christmas pie a day earlier than we typically do. You want holiday ham? Fine. We’re Super Supreme lovers, without the black olives.

These two live just inside the neighborhood boundary (North Park starts on the next block). I used Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 12:49 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 5, 20259:24 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Blush

I warned you. A deluge of furballs is arriving, as we clear out the massive backlog of unpublished putty-tats. This frightened ginger is frequently seen in the same yard as Topcat. I don’t know if they’re residents or community cats who are fed and loved.

Similarly, I held back the feline, hoping to see the owner and ask for the real name. Well, that hasn’t happened, and the time for waiting longer ends today. I choose nickname Blush, for demeanor.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 4, 20258:59 pm

Afternoon Delight

San Diego’s three-summer season means squirrels, and lots of other wildlife, are active year-long. Why hibernate when foodstuffs continually grow, and the days are warm and lovely? The sounds of crows, and the occasional parrots, almost drown out the constant cacophony of residential construction (new builds are everywhere).

I spotted the subject of the Featured Image, clutching an afternoon snack, on Dec. 18, 2024. The portrait comes from Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/60 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 2:37 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 3, 20259:40 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Topcat

Let’s reach into the backed-up queue to Oct. 26, 2023, and one of the first sightings of a glorious tux outside the home where lived “Herbie, the Love Bug” and “Sparky” (and they may still be). More than a year later looking for the owner to get the kitty’s real name, I surrender. We wait no more.

The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2, which I sold on Dec. 11, 2024. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/50 sec, 28mm; 9:34 a.m. PST. I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the companion on Jan. 23, 2024. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 250, 1/60 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 12:44 p.m. I have seen the cat many times since and really should shoot something current.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 2, 20259:37 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Creamsicle

As promised, the parade of pussyfoots begins, with one encountered just a few months ago. You will later meet others that have languished in the queue since at least 2023.

This orange and white carries the distinction of being the one-hundred-fifth feline seen along Alabama Street, somewhere between boundaries Adams and Lincoln, since the series‘ start in October 2016. That’s out of 596 profiles, including this one.