One morning last December, I awoke to witness a bobcat scavenging a deer carcass right outside my upstairs window. At first glance I noticed just the deer carcass, then, doing a double-take, saw a large bobcat slinking up from our agapanthus bed toward it’s meal. With my smartphone nearby, I giddily began filming as the scene unfolded.
Three days in a row the cat returned to the spot—and my husband and I watched fascinated. On day three we finally managed to get some help and carted the carcass down to the street for pick up (that’s another story). It was then that we realized that the deer was probably a juvenile and the bobcat was not so terribly big after all. We don’t know whether our bobcat (Lynx rufus) or some other animal (a coyote or cougar) made the kill. We kept our dog inside for a while.
Sightings of bobcats are rare, however, these shy animals are common in the Bay Area. Our bobcat appears to be a resident of Claremont Canyon. Other neighbors along Stonewall Road where we live likely saw the same animal. Two years earlier, our next-door neighbor filmed a bobcat sunning itself on top of a log, contentedly licking its paws. We were very excited at the time. Stonewall Road borders the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve and many of us, especially on the uphill side of the road, witness wildlife in our yards. No need to go on Safari.
