For the past several years, a Bobcat has occasionally been spotted at the BFS, and this spring, BFS users and neighbors have reported more Bobcat sightings and signs. Well, today the cat wandered into a yard that abuts the Field Station and was captured on film by Laura Kotovsky!
Bobcat in a yard adjacent to the BFS
Another view of the Bobcat.
Although Bobcats are notoriously secretive and primarily nocturnal, the BFS Bobcat (assuming it’s the same one) has been seen several times in broad daylight. You would have be lucky to see the Bobcat, but you might see some signs of its presence, like this scat on the trail around the lake photographed March 21:
Bobcat scat on the path around pHake Lake.
Whereas most coyote scat around the BFS lately contains Toyon berries and insects, only bones and hair are visible the Bobcat scat, consistent with the Bobcat’s diet of rabbits and small rodents. The scraping of the leaves and dirt where the scat was deposited is also typical of Bobcats. Bobcat prints have also been noted — most recently by the toad pool on the HMC property.