Thursday, February 26, 2009

Bobcat on English Lane


This picture of a bobcat was taken at English Lane by Bridget Kelly yesterday. I've had lots of people tell me about bobcat they have seen in Shelton, but this is the first time someone was able to cough up a photo. Well done, Bridget! I hear about bobcats most often in the White Hills, the Nell's Rock area, and Pine Rock Park, along the lower Far Mill River (that one is said to screech at night). Last year a Conservation Commission member watched a large bobcat stalk some deer in his backyard near Indian Well S.P.

Bobcats have very large territories, depending on the food supply and gender, that range from 6 to 60 square miles, and they follow a circuitous route that may take days to complete. So a particular bobcat seen in the White Hills might also be seen in another part of town, or even in some other town.

Watch your pets, folks! Bobcats are known to attack cats and small dogs. As you can see, though, they are beautiful animals.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is a great pic! Amazing!

1SG said...

A very interesting shoot. I have seldom seen Bobcats in the wild and have never been able to get a pic before they are out of sight.

Larry said...

Cool! As soon as I saw Bobcat-I clicked on it.I've only seen one myself-in Bloomfield near Granby.I am also fascinated by reports of people seeing Mountain Lions in CT.-Some people swear by it.-It's almost like a hunt for Bigfoot until someone comes up with some real evidence.

Anonymous said...

Really nice shot! It's as if he wanted people to know that CT wildlife is here to stay. Anytime I see pictures of wild spaces in CT, it warms my heart, Teresa. I grew up in the 1950s in the Beardsley Park vicinity of Bridgeport, between the park and the land belonging to Remington Arms. We had the advantage of being free to ram around in undeveloped woods and fields. Just about ALL the places where we explored and hiked and fished when we were kids are now developed. I wonder where kids in that neighborhood go now to find wild irises, garter snakes, and sunfish.

I'm nearly 61 now. I still love to get out and play in the woods, kayak, snowshoe, backpack and camp. Without the exposure I had to wild places when i was ten, maybe I'd think the world needed to be paved over.

So it does my heart good to see that bold Bobcat sitting there and staring into the camera. The wild things are still here. I hope people appreciate them.

Anonymous said...

I've only seen one Bobcat, and that was at Jennings Beach in Fairfield. It was coming out of the marsh and into the parking lot at night. I've seen tracks in Fairfield and heard them screaming in Coventry.

Anonymous said...

There are MANY Bobcats in CT and a few of them have been brought in injured to the animal hospital where I work. We even saw a bobcat kitten that was hit by a car. (he was treated for a very mild head injury then released by a licenced wildlife rehabilitator). Not only do we have bobcats, keep your eyes open for mountain lions. They are here too. Too many houses, not enough untouched land. It's very sad.

Unknown said...

Great shots!
I have never seen one in the wild before.

Anonymous said...

I live in the Berries section of Huntington, and had one in my front yard on Sunday.
No one believed me that it was a Bobcat.
It was making its way between houses and heading towards the reservoir. So beautiful and strong, and healthy. Along with the coyotes and the deer, I feel like I live in the wild kingdom.

Anonymous said...

I foud some Bob Cat tracks in my back yard (near Mohegan School) after our snow storm. The tracks came into my yard from the woods, did a quick loop of the yard, and back into the woods. I'll be looking to get a photo.