I took a screenshot off of my backyard bobcat video. I’ve had many coyote sightings, but this is only the second time that I captured proof of what I suspected, that my garden magically attracts all my beloved animals.
Even though this photo isn’t the greatest, you can see that he seems large for a bobcat as they generally weigh between fifteen and thirty pounds. Males are larger than the females, maybe this one is a male. Their body length is twenty to fifty inches.
Bobcats (Lynx rufus) play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystem function by controlling prey populations. So far my bunnies seem safe, but bobcats eat pretty much the same diet as coyotes, which includes rabbits, squirrels, rats, and gophers. Since I just witnessed a disgusting MOLE come out of a hole in the ground right in front of me, I hope my predator friends add that to their menu, too.
Bobcats typically stay within an established territory and move between resting areas, food sources, or hunting areas. They often travel in predictable patterns.
CDFW stresses that aggressive behavior by bobcats toward humans is extremely rare. Most bobcats are elusive in nature and rarely seen.
As you can imagine, knowing that this beauty visits on a regular basis makes my heart sing!
Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud 
❤ Wonderful! I always loved to see them when I was out hiking.
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Lucky you! Is mine about the same size that you see? He seems rather on the large side. I took a photo of his paw print. It’s BIG.
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I haven’t seen a bobcat in Colorado. Here we also have Canadian lynx which I haven’t seen, either. But a few times in the Lagunas, a bobcat female and I crossed paths and gave each other a long look. Once she was carrying a dead ground squirrel to her cubs (I think). My dogs didn’t react to her at all. I know they had smelled her many many times, but since I had to rely on my eyes, I didn’t know when she was around unless I saw her.
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The only animal I have a slight fear of is mountain lion because they are unpredictable. Wolves, coyotes, bobcats, no problem!
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I saw a mountain lion up in the Lagunas. It was one of the best moments of my whole life. It was perfect. I’ve written about it a couple places but here’s the most recent. I like this post so I’ll share it. 🙂
https://marthakennedy.blog/2020/10/15/what-i-would-risk-my-life-for/
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Thanks for sharing, will read now! The Lagunas is where I saw a mountain lion too!
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Wow. Maybe it was the same one. Mine was August 4, 2004.
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Your comments were closed but I wanted to tell you it was a beautiful beautiful story. I don’t think it was the same one, I saw mine in 2013-14. I would risk my life for a wolf encounter, so I understand. I really do. I volunteered at Bob Farners Wildlife Refuge in Vista for a while. He had a most interesting story about how he came to rehab wild creatures. He had a wolf named Hildy that I used to brush and a mountain lion that would suck my thumb. She was beyond magical. I loved her too. I can totally see you having a conversation with your beautiful lion. So special.
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I never heard of Bob Farmers Wildlife Refuge — what amazing experiences! Wow.
I don’t know what it is with cougars, but at a wildlife zoo in Tucson, I was leaning against a glass window to see into the enclosure when the mountain lion who lived in the enclosure leapt up to a platform and leaned next to me. There was 1/2 inch of glass between us and I never wanted to leave.
Have you been up to the wolf sanctuary in Julian? It’s pretty amazing. I used to love to go there and volunteered for a short time — mostly writing for them since I was teaching all the time by that point.
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I have wanted to go but am afraid to drive there cos I had a bad experience on mountain roads. I’ve been to Wolf Sanctuary in Mojave tho. Lucky you to have volunteered there! It’s definite that you have a special relationship with mountain lions. Have you done any lucid dream work?
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No. I have a friend who has and I think it’s cool, but I haven’t.
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Here’s an article about Bob Farner. This reminded me the name of the mountain lion I played with, Sheba.
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Sorry! https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-bombshell-hits-animal-rescuer-2001feb26-story.html
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I’ve seen mountain lion tracks in the snow on Volcan Mountain near Julian too.
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The first tracks I saw were on Cuyamaca Peak and the next I saw were in Montana. ❤
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Great pic! We’ve had a Bobcat pass through our yard lately. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen it and photographed it a few times. And yes, they are a necessary part of the ecosystem. I’ve been a bit surprised by the few comments I had on FB by people who were scared for me. Wild creatures are naturally skittish around people, preferring to run away than turn and fight, with few exceptions. I hope your Bobcat gets the mole! I wouldn’t mind fewer moles in my yard either.
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I’d LOVE to see the pics of your bobcat to compare size and color. Lucky us! I rarely see moles, although I guess they’re here, but I thought the holes were mostly caused by ground squirrels.
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I’ve posted some bobcat pics, are you on Instagram?
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