Wow! A bobcat in your yard! The diversity of wildlife that appears on your property never ceases to amaze me.
How great! How wonderful! Good for you!
Very nice! I'm envious. But why would it come inside your fence at all. Wouldn't it be easier just to go around the fence than to climb it twice?
I'm not into magical thinking, either, but I may want to borrow the jade jaguar, just in case...OK, not really, but I've never seen a bobcat in the wild!
Oh, Robin, how wonderful! I feel that same sense of awe when I see a wild animal up close, or for an extended time. What a wonderful gift.
An unusual and beautiful animal has the power to bring neighbors together. When we first moved to our house in Virginia, there was a juvenile red-tailed hawk hanging about one summer. At every good sighting, the neighbors would run out with cameras and binos and camcorders, and we'd all alert each other to particularly good sightings. It was wonderful for us, because we met neighbors quickly that we otherwise might not have seen for a long, long time.
John's right... I'm going to have to get myself one of those jade jaguars too! (-:
Wow, what a beautiful cat. This one seems different than the others you've photographed - colouring is richer and with more distict markings with a bit of dark dorsal stripe, and the body shape just looks more mature to me. This cat also looks very confident, as though it knows its way around your yard. I wonder if he checks out the garden to look for rodents that might be scampering around?
Wow! That is a thrill you will never forget. Look at how well he blends into the environment. Beautiful design. Since there was no sniffing, it would seem he just wanted to drop by with his regards. Wonder if there is a family. This could make for conversation for hours.
Not all that furtive - they don't seem all that shy around you.
I saw prints in the snow a couple of weeks ago in CT that might have been from one, but I haven't studied tracking so I don't know for sure. They say bobcats are rare in our neck of the woods but they also say mountain lions don't exist, which is not true.
WOW! Thanks for the peek. I don't think we have any more large cats left here in the Northeast. I've never seen or heard of one.
Maybe this one is so comfy with your yard because it's been there before. Could be that the one who was squeezing thru the gap grew up enough to climb right over.
WOW! That's cool. I can see getting that excited over such a big kitty.
Dang! That is a big cat poking around in your yard. Wonder what he/she wanted there?
Very cool. When I lived in northern Ontario we used to encounter quite a few bobcats and cougars. The problem always was that they are so shy I never had a chance to get my camera out and snap a shot before they took off into the woods. You are very fortunate.
What an amazing sight! I know we have a few of them around here but they are rarely seen.
Wow - big boy! Glad they haven't fled the area!
It's a great series of photos - I'm pleased that you were able to observe him and record it. And of course that he's so nonchalantly protecting your garden from voracious rabbits and deer.
john-- We actually feel the same way. We're amazed by what walks and flies through our yard.
Dawn-- I'm glad to see such a healthy cat.
pablo-- The fence is not really a barrier. He probably doesn't even have a sense that going around would be easier. He seems to like the path behind the pond and then over to the orchard.
john-- I think everyone should have a mayan jade jaguar in their window. There is simply nothing like seeing a wild cat.
Wren-- It is a wonderful thing when neighbors gather to appreciate the wildlife. We love when that happens.
bev-- Yes, this cat is definitely a mature male. He does move with confidence. A few years ago we did see one hunting behind the pond. It pounced on something, but it was after sunset and we couldn't see what it had gotten.
Peacechick Mary-- It would be a delight to think that this cat has a family nearby. I haven't figured out yet how large a bobcat's territory is, and I've read widely disparate accounts.
cervantes-- There's one trick for identifying feline tracks, and that's that they typically have their claws retracted when they walk. If there are obvious claws, it's probably canine.
sbgyspy-- We thought that this one might be the one from last year, but now much larger. There must be plenty of food around here. He looks healthy, doesn't he?
dave-- I wouldn't want to surprise this cat. He was pretty big, I stayed in the house and photographed through the window.
Kathyr-- We have rabbits, voles, moles, mice, and rats that live and hang around our yard and garden. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking a little nibble on our kitty cat. That's why our cat doesn't want to go outside anymore. I don't blame him. Survivor instincts!
gary-- We feel very lucky. We've seen bobcats here and in the central coast range of California.
deb-- I don't know why these guys come around so close to houses in broad daylight. They must be pretty comfortable.
Wayne-- I had the lens extender on the camera. It makes it very heavy and even less image-stable than usual. I missed a few shots of it when it was closer, just on the other side of the pond, but I kept trying. I'm glad that a few of these shots were clear enough to tell the story. We were blown away by the size of him. He was spectacular.
I have only seen one bobcat in my life and that was in middle Georgia at my parents' home among sprawling wooded acreage and a small lake about a half mile off the highway. It is quiet and wild there - so many deer I sometimes can't count them all on summer nights when I turn into the little gravel driveway that leads me there. I was sitting in a swing on their front porch when the cat emerged from the lake area about 25 yards from me. I was so stunned I was speechless! He disappeared into the woods on the opposite side of the house as quickly as he had appeared. They report other sightings of him, but that was my one and only.
Isn't the timing just amazing? If Roger had not been looking at that precise moment you guys would never know. Wonder what we all miss seeing when we are busy or sleeping?
ain't no house pet, I'm
a big, bushy haired, stump tailed,
fence climbin' feline
Amazing! I'm ready to sell everything and move to the hinterlands. I LOVE bobcats. This is the best series of photos-what luck that Roger spotted him.
He has a fine solid build, yes? And his markings, ears, jowls, oh he's wonderful. This just made my day.
Wow those were beautiful pictures of the bobcat. Nice color and detail, really great to get to see that through your photos
Terrific pics of that bobcat. I know our almost 13 year old kitty boy would NOT be heading outside if he saw that animal; he gets chased by a year old fluffy white cat that lives down on the corner from us!
Spectacular. growing up in N. WI in the late 50's I saw one. They're rare. I'm so encouraged that such health species are still on the prowl.
Isn't APPRECIATION great!
Gorgeous, it has been some time since I encountered one of these splendid wild felines in the Lanark Highlands, and I am always hoping that one will turn up nearby. We do hear them though. . .
Wow. He looks powerful. What a beautiful coat he has!
How amazing to have photographed this bobcat! I have only seen one in the wild and I was in my car! As quick as I saw it, it was gone. Great work!
Nice!
Was your tame cat cowering inside?
sky-- I ask myself that question all the time. What are we missing, when we look away? I imagine a lot.
jeanne marie-- I love "fence-climbing feline." Yes, wasn't he just?
vicki-- FC wrote a while back that he saw a bobcat cross the road in front of him in Florida. They're there. You won't have to sell everything and move to the northwest, unless of course, you're just hankering for some cloudy, dark days to go with that bobcat sighting!
Rain-- It was a little hard to shoot because I had put the lens extender on the camera earlier in the day to shoot close-ups of birds. It's not the best arrangement for fast point and shoot. I'm so relieved it worked out.
isabelita-- Our kitty cat doesn't go out unless we're outside with him, and even then he sometimes stops by the door, sniffs the air, and goes back inside. He's smart.
Robin Avery-- I've seen bobcats in California and Washington. I'm glad to know they are surviving well.
Kerrdeleune-- Nice to know that you have them there. I guess they are learning to live at the edges and boundaries of human encroachment. Good.
am-- This was the biggest cat we've seen in Washington. We thought the others looked good-sized, but this one really stands out.
mon@arch-- We felt very lucky to have the cat in the yard and the presence of mind to pick up the camera.
FC-- Interestingly, Bonsai slept through the entire thing. I was surprised by that. I thought for sure he'd wake up and cower. OTOH, Bonsai is a very heavy sleeper, and this just escaped his nose.
Ah lucky you. Would love to see that in person. The only thing hanging around my yard are the deer and turkeys.
wow, what a sight! My parents in NY state have heard bobcats but never seen one. Have you ever actually heard one? Its a rather frightening sound!
Robin - Thanks for the personal response. Robin
The only bad thing in nature is... You humans.
Just saying. 
Hope your cats are of the indoor type.
Your photographic skills always amaze and delight me!
Thank you!
alan
Oh honey! How perfect!! And your pictures were amazing. That cat looked so healthy and sleek. You truly live in a magical place. Aren't there times when life seems just about perfect? A few weeks back I was privileged to watch two hawks do their mating dance in the sky. I immediately thought of you and your bobcat. I was afraid to run in and get my camera, though. I didn't want to miss anything. Both of them have taken up residence in a nearby tree. I am thrilled. A whole family of hawks living in the neighborhood! No chance of a bobcat around here, worse luck. Too many new housing projects. In ten years this place will resemble any other remote city suburb. I envy you the beauty of your home, my dear. You are truly blessed!
Now my heart is beating wildly from the vicarious experience.
Dang, you lucky dogs! I can't believe you have bobcats just waltzing around in the daytime like that!
Incredible- the cat, the picture, and the fact that you had your camera handy at just the right moment (I'm pretty much guaranteed to be in a different time zone from my camera when this sort of opportunity arises). Bobcats seem to be making a bit of a comeback here in Illinois.
Hey, when did you guys start posting again? Jeez, have I been out of it or what? I thought you were taking a summer break.
Those are excellent pictures. You can tell that is one strong cat. I wouldn't want to mess with him.
wow! best i have seen is a deer coming into our apartment complex when i was in texas ...
i can't believe you actually captured those shots. phenomenal. there was a rat on my backporch last night. didn't post about that, as always i'm jealous of your incredible backyard.
i still have a little fear of bobcats. as a kid they were in the woods where i lived, only saw one once. i might have been more their size for prey then.
Gorgeous. You're making me yearn for colder climes and megafauna - in the last 5 months the biggest wild mammal I've seen was an 18 inch mongoose.
Wow, those are great photos. It's so incredible that you've seen so many bobcats. I haven't seen a one. Of course, I think I'm in the wrong area to see them, too. I really enjoyed that pic of the bobcat climbing up the post! Wow!
I believe any critter has the right to an existence. But not in my space, or in my face.
I have four cats here, and a few more that hang around outside. If a Bobcat shows up here and causes problems he/she gets a bullet in it.
Not that I expect that to happen, there is nothing here for one to eat. Unless it wants my cats, then it is in deep shit, life is that way.
Wow, what a truly special encounter! Good for you! I am jealous!
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