David Willingham always carries a high-powered camera with a telephoto lens on his nature walks in Shevlin Park. That habit paid off on Sunday when he spotted a cougar and was able to snap a few photos before the animal disappeared behind a rock.

Willingham, an avid bird watcher and amateur wildlife photographer, was hiking in Shevlin Park with his wife and 13-year-old son when he spotted the cougar high up on the hillside, west of Tumalo Creek.