Yesterday morning, as light snow was falling along the Colorado Front Range, I caught sight of a bobcat at the edge of our property. After making its way through a grove of piñon pines, it leaped to the top of a fence with ease and disappeared into a neighbors yard.
Though common across North America, bobcats are most active at dawn and dusk and seldom seen (or recognized) by most homeowners. About twice as large as a domestic cat, they are best identified by their relatively long legs and bobbed tail; their coloration varies across the Continent and yesterday's visitor had a tawny pelt. Bobcats feed primarily on rabbits and voles but may attack other small mammals, songbirds, waterfowl and game birds.
Having owned this small farm for thirty years, this was the first time I encountered a bobcat on the property. No doubt, others have visited and, in light of their secretive nature, may even have denned here without my noticing. Indeed, yesterday's brief glimpse was just a stroke of good fortune, facilitated by the low clouds and veil of snow.
