BOBCAT WITH KITTEN: Heart-Stopping Times

Howdy, Birders,

Back to that incredible day, May 19th, with two bobcats, Lynx rufus, on Lone Tree Road, San Benito County, California — I hope the images below will tell some of the story better than I can in words. It was a heart-stopping hour, watching this adult female bobcat with a young, male kitten.

Bobcats are not uncommon in San Benito County, as I have encountered them several times, just this year. Because trophy hunting for this species is not permitted in the state of California, bobcats tend to be very tame, and even curious at times, walking straight toward the observer. This was my experience. Hunched low to the ground, I made some squeaking noises as I often do to attract birds. In this case, the young kitten walked in a straight line toward me. Although I was shooting my camera through a barbed wire fence, I was able to get some decent images. All images below, copyright, Debi Shearwater. Please ask permission for usage.

One of two bobcats, Lynx rufus, 19 May 2011.

Bobcats are small cats, 20 to 24 inches long, that range from southern Canada to Mexico.

The sharp-pointed ears are tipped with dark, inconspicuous tufts.

Although mostly nocturnal, I have seen many bobcats during the mid-day.

Bobcats are found in a variety of habitats, from chaparral to swamps. Above, we see the adult with her kitten on a well-worn trail

The curious kitten approaches me on the trail.

The tail is black above and white below. The white underside of the tail serves as a signal for kittens to follow when the bobcat holds the tail curved up, when hunting for food.

Bobcats den in hollow logs and thick brush. I once saw one in a hollow log.

Twelve subspecies of bobcat are recognized. In our area, the subspecies is L. rufus californicus (Mearns). The southernmost Mexican subspecies has been classified as endangered since 1976.

Incredibly curious kitten.

Keeping up with mother.

Litters usually contain two kittens, but only one male, in this case. The kitten is in the foreground, above, while the mother watches in the background.

Like any other kitten, this one was extremely playful.

The kitten in an oak tree.

From a distance, they blend in well with the surroundings.

The kitten chased its mother, running around the grasslands, and up in trees, making little sounds.

Mother and her son. Bobcats live about 10-12 years in the wild.

Hey, this is not a safari ride! The kitten pouncing on his mother's back. And, off they went. About 2 hours later, as I was driving down the from the top of the road, I saw both of them on the opposite side of the road. The kitten was still chasing his mother.

Happy trails,

Debi Shearwater

San Benito County Birding

SBT COUNTY: BOBCAT

Hello, Birders,

On December 10th, while birding in San Benito County, I had a wonderful encounter with a bobcat (Lynx rufus) at Fremont Peak State Park. It was a dark, dreary, foggy noontime when I entered the park picnic areas. Immediately, I noticed an animal running up the hillside. Stopping the car, I was able to shoot about 35 frames, as the bobcat scampered up the hillside. In order not to scare the bobcat, I used my car as a blind, and did not get out of it. Below, is one of my first shots. You can see that it was headed for this fallen tree.

Although bobcats are mostly nocturnal, I have had many encounters during the day. Since there is no trophy hunting of bobcats in the State of California, they are often very tame. I've even had the experience of having one walk very closely to me, while I was standing in a road, birding.

The image, below shows the very short, "bob" tail, which is only black on the very tip. This is a field mark for the bobcat. Tails average about five inches long. I love the way it curls!

Here, the bobcat walks up the hillside. Notice that the underside of the paws are black. Bobcats are mostly solitary, as this one was. They do den in hollow logs. So, I am wondering if this animal could use this area for a den.
Bobcats average 25-30 inches long and weigh 15-35 lbs.

This image shows the black markings on the ears.

It is almost possible to detect the short ear tufts in the image below when the bobcat turned around to look my direction.

Finally, it slowly walked off uphill, into the grass. It blends in so easily!

It is always a pleasure to encounter wildlife, and San Benito County is great for this!

Happy trails,

Debi Shearwater