More magic!
I can’t post video any other way on WordPress so I hope you’ll be able to view this spectacular bobcat that came to my garden DURING THE DAY with a RAT in his mouth!
Here’s how the story unfolds: Yesterday morning around 6:30 a.m., I saw something on the lawn. I went out to look and it was a mangled rat. Hmmm, I said to myself, that’s gross, but I bet a hawk or owl dropped it. A little later, I walked up the stairs and took the SD card out of my wildlife camera that’s situated on the lower half of the hill and brought it inside to check, like I do on a weekly basis.
I was absolutely blown away by this video!
Bobcats (and coyotes) visit most nights, but this is the very first time I’ve captured video of a daytime stroll through here — with the added bonus of a meal.
It might look as if he walks away, but keep watching for his return along with an early dinner. As he makes his way down the steps, I realize the bobcat is the reason for the rodent remains I found on the lawn. This bobkitty is so jawdroppingly beautiful, I’ve watched the video at least a dozen times.
Bobcats are incredibly elusive animals and a bobcat sighting is a rare occurrence. Although bobcats are primarily nocturnal, they may be seen during the day while hunting/foraging for food, especially between April and July when they are most likely to have dependent young.
The only part of this momentous event that makes me a little sad is that I was HERE at that exact time and didn’t have a clue that I should have looked out the window that faces the garden as it would have been the greatest day in my life, right up there with seeing wolves in the Lamar Valley at Yellowstone, (although the temptation to want to run outside and say “here kitty, kitty” and pet him is strong.)
I am beyond grateful that these creatures feel that my garden (and me) are a safe haven to explore.
What might it mean? Seeing a bobcat carries a powerful spiritual message. It could be a sign that we need to tap into our inner strength and independence. The bobcat embodies resilience, encouraging us to stand our ground in the face of challenges.
Additionally, the presence of a bobcat might be a call to explore the mysteries of our life. It’s an invitation to delve deeper into our personal spirituality and uncover truths that may be hidden or suppressed. A bobcat can indeed be seen as a good luck spiritual symbol. https://lifeadventurously.com/spiritual-meaning-of-bob-cat/
This is a good time to remind us all about the horrors of using poison to control rodents:
Rat poisons don’t just kill rats; they kill wildlife too. Wildlife species are exposed to anticoagulant rat poisons when the poisons are used in urban and agricultural areas to target species such as rodents. But those who consume the poisons do not die immediately of the internal bleeding they are intended to cause. It can take more than a week for a poisoned rodent to die. In the meantime, the poisoned animal may be vulnerable to predators, and if a predator such as a bobcat preys on the poisoned rodent, the bobcat becomes poisoned too. Thus, poisons enter local food webs and become especially harmful to animals at the top of the food chain. Through a process called bioaccumulation, animals at the top of the food chain absorb toxins from eating lots of different prey animals, but their organs cannot filter out the toxins, causing the poisons to accumulate in their systems. As a result, some of the most iconic species in California – bobcats, coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, owls – are the most vulnerable to this indirect poisoning. https://panthera.org/blog-post/surprising-effects-rat-poison-bobcats
Wow! Great footage! That rat looks pretty big!
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The rats around here are GIGANTIC. That’s all from overdevelopment and so many less natural predators. They had to leave all the fields and open space and now they’re here.
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I guess that’s why your back yard is so popular with the coyotes.
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All my neighbors share their visits and sightings, but I seem to be the only one with a backyard wildlife camera. I think this latest one has inspired some of them to get one, too!
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It would have inspired me, too – if I lived in a conducive area.
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I always thought wildlife came to visit but never had proof until the camera, I wish I had done it years ago when there were still deer around here!
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We finally have a pest removal guy who never uses poison except for ants and that is only against the house foundation. Otherwise, all the stuff he uses is non-lethal, though usually unpleasant.
Even mice don’t get poisoned, though they do die in traps. But there are a LOT of mice. I’ve seen dead rats around the property here too. We have bobcats and have had them around for years. One of them bred a litter of kittens in my tepee.
After they ate everything they could find, they left for a couple of years. Now that we have whole new families of chipmunks, rats and for all I know, a few rabbits too, he/she is back. If it weren’t for the predators, life would become unbearable. I am afraid of spiders, but I don’t kill them because they keep other insects away. You can’t just keep the parts of nature you like.
We also have foxes and coyotes. And fishers (weasels). But I think the bobcats are the most amazing hunters of them all. They aren’t as big as the others, but they are always out hunting — night AND day. Have you seen those lantern-eyes at night? It’s astonishing.
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I admit to being a bit of a hypocrite-I say I’m an avowed animal activist but I REALLY don’t like rats or mice (both carry diseases) and the ground squirrels (sometimes bubonic plague carriers) we have here do some much damage, so I’m even happier – like you- to see all the predators. I had such a horrible infestation of rats in my shed a couple years ago that I had to call in a biohazard guy and we tossed out a lot of stuff that had been contaminated. Now I keep it much better under control but I know they’re still around. Just NEVER in the house cos then I’d have to move.
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The ones that are pets, rats and mice are really sweet and nice they are very affectionate and dont carry the diseases, but agree the ones who live outside are dirty and can carry disease.
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I feel like I shouldn’t dislike them so much, but the disease aspect overrides any other compassion for them.
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I know what you mean.
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A lot of animal rights advocates don’t like rats or mice I am a liker of them. I don’t like spiders or snakes though I am scared of them!!
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Gorgeous bobcat….what a treasure to have them come onto the video and onto your property ❤️
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I so agree, I feel so lucky! I only wish I had thought to put up a camera years ago!
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Yeah it is magical ✨️ I hope more animals show their faces.
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Me too! So far, in addition to coyotes and bobcats, I see lots of raccoons, possums, buns, and skunks. There used to be deer until it got overdeveloped.
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You are so lucky! Ive seen any of these animals except possums in real life, in Australia we just dont have them here, but we do have koalas and wombats, kangaroos. All are relatively common in bushy areas. Wombats scuttle along with babies like little tiny tanks hehe
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*I’ve not seen any of these animals
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