GARDENING WITH THE MASTERS: On the prowl — Bobcats in residential areas

The couple that purchased our previous home sent me a text with a picture of a bobcat stalking the pond. It is very unusual for a bobcat to eat fish but if the opportunity arises, then they will pursue it. This bobcat left without fish.

The owners covered the pond with a net to discourage the Blue Heron from eating the fish.

All the 15 years I lived there I never saw a Bobcat, but over the last three years I did see Blue Herons.

Geography

The bobcat also known as the red lynx can be found throughout North America and southern Canada. The bobcat is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2002, due to its wide distribution and large population. When we look at all of the building in many metro communities, we can see how not only bobcats but other wildlife are losing their habitat.

Appearance

The Bobcat has some very distinctive markings. Take note of the black bars on the front legs and the black tip on the bobbed tail. It got its name because of its bobbed tail; which is shorter than most cats. The adult Bobcat’s tail is 6 to 7 inches in length; hence the name, Bobcat, is very apropos.

It is a medium-sized cat, which looks similar in appearance to the lynx, its cousin. The coat color ranges from shades of brown or beige with spots scattered throughout the stomach and legs. Males are usually larger than females, up to 50 inches in length, and size also varies depending on their geographic location. Bobcats in the north are typically larger than the ones in the south.

Diet and Nutrition

In their diet the bobcat prefers rabbits, but if they are not available, they will choose other options such as mice, rats, squirrels, chicken, geese, small fawns, wild birds, feral cats and rabbits. Take note the hawks and coyotes are competing for some of the same foods the bobcats partake. Since the bobcat was searching for food from the pond there must be a shortage of squirrels, mice, rats and birds.

Habits and Lifestyles

Bobcats are an adaptable predator and inhabit wooded areas, semidesert, urban edge, forest edge and swampland environments. They are active mostly during twilight and track their prey from three hours before sunset until about midnight and then again from before dawn until three hours after sunrise. Each night they move from 2 to 7 miles along their route. During the day, they rest and sleep in a den using a hollow tree or a rock crevice.

Bobcats are like most cats, very territorial and solitary; they mark their range with scent and claw markings on trees to let others know of their presence. The males have a large range which will often overlap several smaller female territories, though cats will not interact with each other until the breeding season in the winter. During the rest of the year bobcats avoid each other to minimize the risk of being injured during a fight.