At first glance, this tawny feline looks like just another neighborhood pussycat visiting the yard.
Posing among the spring flowers it almost seems to smile for the camera. But there’s something a little wilder than usual in its expression and the size of its cheek ruffs and paws.
The facial markings are a bit more pronounced than those of a domestic cat and then there are those black ear tufts and bobbed tail…
Ryan Shaw was surprised early one evening when he realized he had spotted a bobcat (Felis rufus) in his yard. Though his first thoughts raced to the whereabouts of his own housecat, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by this wildcat’s awesome beauty. He wondered if perhaps he was the one trespassing on the bobcat’s territory.
In January 2010 I spotted two bobcats in the backyard. Besides this recent spotting on Green Bay Road, they’ve also been seen on Orion Drive. They seem to be on the prowl throughout Cow Bay and it’s no wonder why.
Bobcats feed on snowshoe hares, squirrels, porcupines and ground birds which are all plentiful here. They’re also comfortable climbing among the trees blown down in our backwoods by Hurricane Juan in 2003.
Bobcat litters of one to six kittens are born at this time of year. Since they breed in the first year, it likely won’t be long before there are more of them in our neck of the woods.
If you see a large tawny cat in your yard, especially one with a bobbed tail, don’t approach it. They may look friendly, but wild animals are best admired from a safe distance.
Photo credits: Ryan Shaw
Oh, how lovely to see a wild cat!
Grace, not only was Ryan able to see it, but he also managed to capture it in photos so that we can share in the excitement of seeing it too.
Amazing photos, Amy – there’s something quite fierce and proud in that gaze! Well-captured (photographically, I mean…
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Reggie, I think that the fierceness and pride are qualities that are found in all wild cats, yours in Africa for example. They are beautiful, but I’d hate to see how they act when cornered.
YAY!!
Elisa, yay for wild cats roaming wild
Hmm, from the Bobcat’s point of view we humans certainly do a great of trespassing on their territory. Bobcats don’t give a hoot for ‘boundary lines’ or land ownership titles. I think they literally ‘mark’ their territory.
Beautiful images! Thanks much for sharing this close encounter with one of our Bobcat relatives.
47whitebuffalo, yes we certainly do a lot of trespassing. When large tracts of land are ‘developed’ in a short span of time, as has been the case in Eastern Passage and Cow Bay in the past 25 years, wildlife is displaced and has nowhere else to go. If there was forest instead of ocean bordering our communities, wildlife would have the option of migrating deeper into the wilderness. The only forested areas border the community of Cole Harbour which has seen tremendous growth of residential areas in the same time frame.
Ryan’s photos are indeed beautiful. It’s almost like he asked the bobcat to pose for him and it willingly complied.
Ryan got some great pictures – what a handsome cat! I love the dark outlines on his face. It’s awesome the way he is looking right at the camera. I wonder how much bigger than a housecat he is? Thanks for sharing these!
Barbara, those dark facial outlines are gorgeous aren’t they? There is an African legend about the lines on a cheetah’s face that attribute their presence to the cheetah having cried inconsolably for her babies. I think of that story whenever I see the lines on any wild cat’s face.
When I saw the two in my backyard, they were unmistakably larger than any big housecat I’ve ever seen. Their legs are proportionately longer than those of housecats but their bodies are bigger too. In the southern United States, bobcats are often kept as family pets. That would be illegal in Nova Scotia.
Amy-Lynn, I’m wondering if you saw last year’s Earth Day movie, *African Cats.* I was moved deeply by the story of Sita, a mother cheetah, and how heartbroken she seemed to be whenever, in spite of her best efforts, she lost one of her cubs to a predator. I will also think of the African legend, now, whenever I see the lines on a cat’s face.
No Barbara, I haven’t seen the ‘African Cats’ movie. Nothing sadder than mothers (of any species) losing their children.
Oh goodness! This guy has visited us a few times and went away with two ducks and a rooster! He actually attacked our duck at 2:30 in the afternoon. I was surprised to see him out in the middle of the day. Since that last attack in October, I haven’t seen him around. I’ve been letting chickens and ducks out for a few hours a day to peck around, but I’m just holding my breath! I know this particular little feline friend has been spotted a lot recently.
He is certainly beautiful! I will just have to be more careful with my feathered friends!
Yes, Ryan got some great shots!
Jen, that’s not good. I’ve read that they’ll resort to poultry when their regular fare is scarce.
As I mentioned in my post, they are able to reproduce the first year. Their litters are 1-6 kittens, usually four. They also live for at least ten years in the wild. It seems that we’re going to have quite a few of them on the prowl in the years ahead, as long as they have a ready source of food.
They’ll eat carrion if they have to, but prefer their meat to be fresh.
I miss seeing all the snowshoe hares that used to graze in my yard. I don’t know if the bobcats got them or they were the victims of the many neighborhood pet cats that prowl around my yard.
Good luck with your birds.
Holy cats Amy-Lynn ! Ryan was lucky to see it and we are lucky you shared his photos with us.
Holy cats is right Robin. And while we’re on the subject of Robin…
They are pretty, but not a very welcome visitor.
Patti, if I had a housecat or small dog, I’d keep a closer eye on them outdoors.
Wonderful! ‘Never seen one, though I know they’re around — very reclusive!
Catharus, though it is a joy to see them, just knowing they are out there is wonderful enough. Nova Scotia is supposed to have the largest population of bobcats in North America.
We’re blessed to share our corner of the world with these gorgeous fellows. Mu husband recently saw one on a nearby golf course, walking across the fairway with a rabbit in his mouth. There have also been multiple sightings of a very dark (reportedly black) colored one in the East Bay hills.
Colleen, apparently these very dark bobcats do appear now and then. There is no mistaking the short tail of bobcats whatever their coloring.
I would be thrilled to see a bobcat that up close. The closest bobcat I’ve ever seen has been from a moving car. Nice photos!
Kathy, wildlife always looks so much ‘wilder’ in person doesn’t it? It really is thrilling.
What a beautiful animal!
But I don’d have a chance to meet it here unless it’s a zoo.
It’s interesting how different lynxes are in America and Eurasia. My image of it is less fury and bigger and red, and with tail
Nadezhda, I looked up images of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). It too is quite beautiful. Its reddish coat is gorgeous. The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is usually larger and more elusive than the bobcat (Lynx rufus) but also has a short tail. Its population is closely tied to that of its primary food source: the snowshore hare.
I cannot imagine how I came to miss the bobcat story when it was posted. Exceptional photos, Ryan. Thanks for the story, Amy-Lynn.
Gerry, I miss things all the time! I wonder how many years I missed knowing there were bobcats in these woods. They wouldn’t have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Glad you enjoyed Ryan’s photos and the story.
I seen this guy or one of his relatives in our yard a couple years ago….he was chasing a rabbit, round and round. Their chase led to the woods where we heard the rabbit lose. Glad it happened in the woods as my kids and I were on our door step. We had just come from our car when they leapt into the yard. It was frightening and mesmerizing at the same time!
Lisa, those hares are extremely fast runners and can switch direction on a dime. But they do get caught. My dog ran one down many years ago to the horror of one of my neighbors who witnessed the chase and kill.
The hare population in the neighborhood seems down in the past couple of years. I wonder what the bobcats will hunt if they can’t find enough hares. I’m always amazed when I see neighbors’ pet cats on the prowl in my yard. Living on the edge of some deep woods, don’t their owners realize that their ‘little hunters’ could easily become ‘the hunted?’