Big Backyard Bobcat

With their territories being very large (many square miles), I rarely see bobcats where I live, so it is always a treat when I catch a fleeting glimpse of one quietly sneaking through the yard.

Recently, however, I saw a large bobcat several times within a couple of days.  Maybe it was just luck, or maybe he (just guessing male based on size) was hanging around or using an invisible path through the yard.  I have wanted to get a decent photograph of a local bobcat, so I thought that this may be the time to try.  But of course when these sightings happened it was during the hottest days of the year at the end of July.

“He was so close…”

Like Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” so despite the heat, I set up my blind.  Bobcats are so secretive that you just don’t know where they are and when they’ll be there, so I hid myself in the blind each morning before sunrise.  And I waited.  And Waited.  And waited some more.  I spent many, many hours in the blind with some success the first morning – kind of.

The first day, the bobcat walked right next to me, and then sat directly in front of my lens.  He was so close that I could barely fit his head and pointy black and white ears in the camera’s viewfinder.  This would have been great had he been facing me – but no such luck.  And when he walked away, it wasn’t possible to get much more than an angled view of his face.  Both photos are included here – these are NOT cropped!!

I remained silent and nearly motionless, and so I was able to take some photos of the back of his head while he was sitting in front of me.  Being so close to a wild bobcat was an amazing experience.  But despite my attempted silence, in my mind I was sure he could hear my heart wildly pounding like Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart.”  This lasted for maybe a minute while he surveyed his territory, just sitting, and watching.  Thank goodness for today’s silent mirrorless cameras or this experience would not have happened.  Yet, when it was over I wanted more – a better photo that is.

“Literally out of nowhere…”

I keep my backyard somewhat natural as you’ll see in the photo gallery below.  While it was great to see and photograph my own backyard bobcat, it came with it’s own issues.  As with any cat, they are obligate meat eaters, and I sadly witnessed a gray squirrel being taken.  Literally out of nowhere, the bobcat shot out of the brush with such a rush of sound that I was visibly shaking not knowing what was going on – or if he was coming after me.  This happened so wickedly fast that it became clear how cats survive in the wild.  I had no idea he was lying in wait just a few feet away from me.

As the days went on, I had a couple more brief opportunities with this wonderful, elusive, wild cat as it wandered through.  I spent a total of three days in the blind.

Although these were long, hot days sitting in a small, cramped blind, perhaps that makes me treasure this moment even more.  Nature photography isn’t always easy or convenient – But, it is wonderfully fulfilling.

Please take a moment to click on any photo below to see what I saw.  The camera’s EXIF data is included for those interested.  Please be warned that the “squirrel capture” photo is included at the end of the gallery – it is the sad reality of life in the wild.