Rusty-spotted Cat
I was attracted to the ruckus made by crows from a tree, about 200 m. from where I stood. Expecting them to be mobbing an unfortunate owl or bird of prey, I approached the tree, taking my time. The mobbing persisted.
When I finally reached the spot some ten minutes later I could see some 30+ House Crows cawing and flying around the target tree, which was a modest, barren tree with slender branches on which I first noticed the swinging of a bushy tail.
On approaching closer, I saw the small, fawn-coloured cat trying to get down from the tree but getting intimidated by the pestering crows that kept flying close or landing close to it on the tree, calling loudly all the while.
It was really unfortunate that these very circumstances that made this elusive animal uncomfortable opened up a rare window of opportunity for me to photograph it. For the next few minutes, I kept clicking as the crows prevented the cat from climbing down the tree and escape into the undergrowth.
As this drama was getting enacted, the poor animal seized opportunity to escape when a male Oriental Honey Buzzard flew in to land just 5 m. above my head on a young Eucalyptus tree. Momentarily, the crows got distracted with the unexpected arrival of this raptor that the cat was forgotten and the entire bunch landed seeking the buzzard's blood!
When I took my eyes off the honey buzzard and looked at the tree on which the harassed cat was stuck for the past several minutes, I was so happy to see it empty, the animal having used this diversion of attention of the crows away from itself to climb down and melt into the tangled undergrowth.
Though known to occur in lightly wooded rocky and scrub-covered areas, the Rusty-spotted Cat is rarely seen in the open and hence not often reported or photographed. I think it was one of those rare days and I was happy to be able to use the opportunity to photo-document this smallest wild cat.
- Santharam