Unexpected

tanjabrittonwriter 68 Comments

On occasion I have more than one wildlife encounter on the same day. Following my meeting with the charming coyote in the luminous light of the rising October sun you might remember from my previous post, the morning holds another surprise. After moving on to another favorite birding destination in prairie habitat, I walk a creek bed that is dry most of the year. It is lined by cottonwood trees whose golden leaves glow and glimmer in a faint autumn breeze.

I lift my binoculars repeatedly to focus on movement suggestive of wings rather than foliage when a motion on the ground instead of in the air stops me in my tracks. An animal is crouching behind a pile of logs and in my astonishment, I start to flip through a mental checklist. Am I looking at a house cat? A feral cat? Another feline? A coyote in costume? 😊

Whatever it is, he or she doesn’t meet my gaze, glancing off sideways, possibly in an attempt to pretend not to have seen me and, consequently, not to have been seen by me. But when I wonder aloud “Who are you?”, it takes only an instant for the creature to scale up the tree trunk and glance down at me from behind a leafy screen.

I’m impressed. This agility and speed, the markings on the face and body as well as the barely visible ear tufts convince me that I’m looking at a bobcat. Its size and behavior suggest that it’s a bobcat kitten. I have seen adult bobcats a few times but never a kitten and I’m elated. The youngster seems more curious than scared and I linger, pretending we are playing a game of peekaboo.

I wonder if it’s alone, or if any siblings or parents are around, keeping a watchful eye on us. I’m not worried as it would be extremely unusual for a bobcat to attack a human, but for the kitten’s sake, I tear myself away. With a smile, a “thank you,” and “good luck” I take my leave, hoping that it will make it to its first birthday and beyond.

PS: The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is one of four species in the genus lynx (the others being the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). According to the IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species), the conservation status of thee first three is considered of “Least Concern,” whereas the latter is “Vulnerable.”

All lynx are considered medium-sized cats, with bobcats being the smallest of the four species. Bobcats occur in every one of the contiguous 48 US states except for Delaware, plus in several southern Canadian provinces. Their estimated numbers range from 1.4 to 2.6 million individuals in the US; their average life expectancy is 7 years. A typical litter contains 2 to 4 kittens who tend to be born in April or May, so “my” kitten might have been 5 or 6 months old.

As my previous post confirmed, hunting remains a controversial issue and people’s opinions are divided. Colorado voters defeated a controversial statewide ballot measure in the November 2024 election which would have outlawed the hunting of both bobcats and mountain lions (click here for more information if you are interested). This vote followed in the wake of a previous passage of another controversial ballot measure that mandated the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado, which has led to much strife between wildlife advocates and ranchers, because of depredation of livestock.

It is my fervent hope that we can figure out a way to ensure that Earth remain a welcoming home for all living beings, including my little bobcat.

68 thoughts on “Unexpected”

  4. Hi, Mrs. Tanja-

    Thank you so much for sharing!! I do not think that I have ever seen a bobcat before in-person, so I (like you) was curious as to what type of cat he was.

    I sure hope he made it down from the tree safely!! 🙂

    Blessings,

    Gavin

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    • Thank you, Gavin. We occasionally see bobcats here in Colorado, but not often, so each encounter is special. This one was extra special. 😊

      I don’t think we have to worry about the kitten getting stuck in that tree. (S)he was an excellent climber!

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    • Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comment, Christine. It’s been a while.

      I just visited your website and love your creations. If I interpret things correctly, you are no longer in Colorado. I hope Indiana is treating you well.

      Best wishes,

      Tanja

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  7. Oh wie schön.
    Einen Luchs in freier Natur zu treffen ist atemberaubend.
    Was für ein Glück du hattest.
    Ich wünsche dem Kleinen und allen Tieren viel Glück im Leben. Mögen sie gesund und munter bleiben.
    Liebe Grüße Brigitte

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  8. Beautifully said: “I wonder if it’s alone, or if any siblings or parents are around, keeping a watchful eye on us. I’m not worried as it would be extremely unusual for a bobcat to attack a human, but for the kitten’s sake, I tear myself away. With a smile, a “thank you,” and “good luck” I take my leave, hoping that it will make it to its first birthday and beyond.”

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. Oh my goodness! What an amazing encounter! I’ve seen a bobcat once, for about five seconds as it dashed off into the woods. How cool that this once stuck around for a bit and you were able to capture it on camera.

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  10. What a sweet face! I agree that it is a youngster, finding his/her way in the world. We see bobcats here, but they are elusive, with good cause. Humans are bad news, best to hide or run away!

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  11. Lucky you–and thanks for sharing this lovely bobcat with us! What a darling and your photos are wonderful. I’ve never seen a bobcat, though I have seen paw prints when camping in Big Bend National Park. They’re around here, too, in the Austin area, though not in my part of the city.

    Is the kitten in an Aspen? Great post, Tanja!!

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  12. Fabulous photos, what a sighting! An adult bobcat would be wonderful, but a beautiful kitten like that is stunning. I’ve never seen a bobcat of any age, and (as so often when I read your posts) I’m insanely jealous!

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  13. “It is my fervent hope that we can figure out a way to ensure that Earth remain a welcoming home for all living beings, including my little bobcat.”

    So beautifully put. A sort of prayer for all of us who love nature.

    And I so enjoyed seeing the pictures of the young bobcat. I am going to show this post to my daughter Dee, who loves all things feline.

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  18. Your “in an attempt to pretend not to have seen me and, consequently, not to have been seen by me” is a reminder of how an ostrich supposedly puts its head in the sand.

    Bobcat is short (like the tail itself) for bobtail cat.

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    • Thank you, Steve. Your comment made me search online for “do ostriches really put their heads in the sand.” As I learned and you likely already knew, this is a myth.

      At least for bobcats, bobs never go out of style. The same can not be said for human hairstyles. 😊

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  19. It’s a beautiful creature and I love the peekaboo pictures. 🙂 I’m with you in hoping that we can find a way to share the earth with all earthlings, whatever they may be, in a kind and considerate fashion.

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    • Thank you, Ann. It was special getting to spend some time (and playing peekaboo) with this endearing cat.

      Let’s hope that the hope you and I and so many others share for this special planet of ours won’t be in vain.

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  23. Deceptively cute, and probably shy, subject today. We have bobcats in this area as well, but not nearly as many as coyotes from your prior post. Around here, the infrequent bobcats are often confused with mountain lions. Perhaps Jan and I will be able to see one when we visit CO later this spring. Thanks for sharing Tanja.

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    • Thank you, Brad. I really enjoyed spending a little time with this young cat. I hope you will see one during your visits in CO but I would be surprised. If I’m lucky, I see one once or twice a year, so you would have to be at the right spot at the right time.
      And while I have seen mountain lion tracks, I have never seen one in the wild, and likely won’t. And that’s probably for the better also.

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  24. Happy Almost Spring, Tanja!
    I adored your bobcat pics and story! Although I live in a town of 18,000, we abut a woods and bobcats walk through our yard. How I’ve tried to get some good pics of them, but have never succeeded! Your “hide and seek” pic is just adorable.
    Sounds like your are hanging in there, like the rest of us?
    Best,
    Julie

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    • Hi Julie,
      It’s nice to hear from you. I visited your blog the other day because I missed you but there wasn’t anything new. I saw just now that you have published a new post; look forward to it.
      How lucky to have bobcats visiting your yard regularly. I hope you will get your image one of these days. I got lucky with this little one.
      Hanging in there sounds just about right, some days are better, some are worse. It still feels as though we are caught in a horrible nightmare from which we can not awaken. 😦
      I hope that the promise of spring will give all of us a boost.
      Warm greetings,
      Tanja

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  25. Tanja, I react to your fascinating photo essay in the same way as I did when you published your post on coyotes. The shots on this little and yes so cute bobcat kitten are truly outstanding. Each photo tells a story. Second best is your exchange of comments with Steve Schwartzman. Now I know that ostriches don’t stick their heads in the sand. We can’t say that about us humans. Too sad!

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    • Thank you for your comment, dear Peter, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos of this cute little cat, I felt lucky to share some precious moments with it.

      As far as ostriches and humans are concerned, I have little doubt that the average ostrich has more intelligence and integrity than the average human being, especially when it comes to certain politicians. If the stakes weren’t so high, one could try to shrug it off.

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  26. What an outstanding encounter!

    The more often we venture forth into Nature’s domain, the more often we get “lucky” and observe something new and wonderful.

    Apologies for our absence. The view from the hospital suite was not quite as nice as the one in the forest.

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    • Thank you, dear Wally. There is absolutely no need to apologize for your absence. I have been thinking of you two, hoping you were ok.
      Encounters like this one make me want to spend as much time out-of-doors as possible. Nothing else is as fulfilling.

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  27. Finally, on my third reading, I found confirmation of what I’d suspected: that the beautiful leaves surrounding your kitten were cottonwoods. I think they’re one of the most beautiful trees in autumn; for me, they come close to equaling those dramatic displays in the northeast.

    But of course your post is first and foremost about that adorable kitten. It does seem as though it was playing peek-a-boo with you — what an incredible experience. I once saw a female with two kittens at the Brazoria refuge, but they were some distance away, and were gone in a flash once the mother spotted me. They’re relatively common here, but elusive — except in ranch country west of here, where they often are picked up by game cameras as they roam the senderos. In an isolated part of the coast, a friend and I once found very large and very fresh prints in the sandy mud. At that point, we were the ones who were gone in a flash!

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    • Sorry that you missed my mention of cottonwoods, Linda. I also love those trees, I consider them the “aspen of the plains.”

      I’m glad you have had your own bobcat sightings. I don’t know that there was any reason to leave in a hurry when you saw the bobcat prints; it likely knew about you before you knew about it and was long gone.

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  28. How cute is that!! What a great encounter, so cute, so nimble. Few and far between out where we are, but I do get to encounter them on our many adventures.. but never a kitten (I’m jealous ha).

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