We Have Bobcats!

A neighbor told us there are at least three bobcats that live down in the ravine but we’ve only seen one at a time. Last fall, a real skinny bobcat used to walk through our yard regularly on his way to the meadow behind us. Once he came right past our front door, slowly sauntering with his head bobbing gently from side to side, checking out the scene. I watched from the window, maybe five feet away. He was much larger than a housecat and had huge feet. He was a little scrawny, his tan, spotted fur was scuffed and scarred, and looked as though he’d had a tough life. His big ears were tufted in black and of course he had the telltale bobbed tail. He walked with his mouth partly open, similar to domestic cats when they’re flehming. “Flehming” is when they draw air into their mouths so that the "jacobson's organ" at the roof of its mouth can send signals to the brain regarding the scent of an object. I guess bobcats do that too.

In September, there were some mountain lion sightings in our area and the bobcats disappeared. The mountain lion was spotted on the golf course, near some homes and on some hiking trails. Bobcats are one thing but an encounter with a mountain lion can be very dangerous. I stopped going for walks alone and was extra-cautious when taking the dogs out to do their business on leashes. After a month or so, the deer began reappearing in the neighborhood and the park ranger said that’s usually a sign the mountain lion has moved on.

Recently we've been seeing a beautiful, well-fed bobcat hanging around our area. He too strolls through our yard out to the meadow in back. I don’t think he’s the same cat from last fall. This guy looks much healthier and plumped up, and his coat is a gorgeous orange-tan with dark spots. He’s a real beauty, his white ears are tufted in black and his bobbed tail has a funny curve. Not sure if it’s a congenital defect or the result of an injury.

I’ve learned that our local bobcats basically ignore humans as long as you give them plenty of space (we’ve photographed them many times from a distance). They are often hidden in the tall grasses of the meadows starring intently down gopher holes waiting patiently for a meal, while hikers unknowingly walk right past.

A neighbor told me that one day while walking along the paved road, he heard a rustle in a bush not more than a few feet away. He looked down just in time to see a bobcat emerge with a small rabbit in its mouth. The bobcat glanced briefly at our neighbor and then trotted away to sit in the field and enjoy his catch. Boy, was that a close encounter with nature!