| VIEW Wild-Eyed Encounter BY JOE PAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAKOTA LAMBERSON The unmistakable pitch of a ground squirrel crying out a life-or-death warning was the first hint something was out there. But as San Luis Obispo teen Dakota Lamberson peered from the passenger seat of his mother’s car while they meandered along the wooded road, all he could see was a group of deer. “We were pretty sure that [group of deer] wasn’t the reason the squirrel had alarmed,” Lamberson said. “Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a bobcat walked across the road and went up the hill on the other side.” As soon as the cat appeared, it was gone, vanishing among the browning vegetation in a caramelcolored ripple along the hillside. On that 2018 afternoon, after an unsuccessful search for great horned owl along the winding path of Hi Mountain Lookout Road, Lamberson’s mom cruised in the direction of Santa Margarita Lake. It was Lamberson’s first visit to the area, and it was a lucky one. “We hiked up the hill and split up to watch for the bobcat,” he recalled. “For the next three hours, we kept catching glimpses of it through the trees.” Once Lamberson made it, alone, to the top of the hill with his camera, a pointyeared head popped up from behind a rock and locked him with a penetrating gaze. He captured a few shots immediately, then took a couple of steps back, as he was “too close.” The cat didn’t move, clearly squaring the kid up, and accurately assessing him as no threat. “He sat, I stood, for over three minutes like this,” Lamberson said. “It was very unreal. I was super excited but trying to stay calm…I couldn’t believe it was happening.” Eventually, the feline retired down the hill, leaving the youth holding a camera loaded with photos and a head swimming with endorphins. Up to that point, the budding wildlife photographer had spent plenty of time outdoors with his parents’ camera, catching shots of birds, big and small, or more common mammals like deer or squirrel. The bobcat was a milestone, he shared, as predators are much more difficult to find, let alone photograph well. “I had spent so much time dreaming about getting close to a bobcat or some unusual animal, so when I was finally there photographing it, I kept having to remind myself that it was really happening,” Lamberson explained. “It is still at the top of my list of wildlife encounters. Elusive animals are always more exhilarating to photograph.” Now, the steely-eyed bobcat is just one of several feathers in the fourteen-year-old wildlife photographer’s proverbial cap. His website (dakotalamberson.com) showcases many incredible images, from black bear to bighorn sheep in Yellowstone National Park. Last year, he won a high honor in the youth category of an esteemed wildlife photography competition. Although Lamberson isn’t old enough to have a learner’s permit or his own cell phone, his work and approach illustrate a mature passion. He hopes his photography can aid conservation efforts and raise awareness, both in the San Luis Obispo area and beyond. “If you don’t put a face on an animal that you are trying to protect, then it will just seem like some far off creature. But if you tell people it is in their backyard, and show them a photo of it, they will connect to it and be more likely to protect it.” <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> JOE PAYNE is a journalist, as well as a lifelong musician and music teacher, who loves writing about the arts on the Central Coast, especially music, as well as science, history, nature, and social issues. 32 | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | APR/MAY <strong>2020</strong>
APR/MAY <strong>2020</strong> | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | 33