The other evening my sister was in the shop working with her Dahlia tubers and keeping an eye out on the cats on the Back Porch when she looked up to see a Bob-cat confidently strolling along between the house and the shop. It was a large long-legged mature cat. My sister ran outside to encourage the cat to leave the area. The cat was very composed and walked slowly away into the trees, but was not scared of her!
I think this is one of the reasons we are seeing a Bob-cat so close to the house.
We have lots of bunnies.
Bounding bunnies!
Sniffing bunnies
And the California Quail are prime Bob-cat food too.
As our the Gray Squirrels.
While my cats appears to have declared a truce,
I'm sure the Bob-cats have not!
I was asked in the comment section how I keep the squirrels out of the birdfeeders.
As you can see, I'm not entirely successful!
Most of the feeders are on slick poles that the squirrels cannot climb, but a couple of feeders are near trees and the squirrels consider those to be fair game.
The Chipmunks are also called Ground Squirrels, and as such they do not get into my feeders.
I set out food for them atop a woodpile each morning.
If I don't, they tend to come up to the feeders near the Back Patio to see what might have fallen on the ground that they can glean. With the four cats on the Back Patio that is not a good thing.
Because while Gray Squirrels are somewhat safe, the cats large and small, wild and domestic, consider the chipmunks to be fair game.
Stay safe out there!
Oh boy! I know the bob-cats need to eat too, but, well, their dinners are so cute!
ReplyDeleteCute pics! The squirrels around here prefer the challenge of stealing the birds' food! I love your blog header.
ReplyDeleteCathy
CraftyCat
Great photos. Gotta love those chipmunks.
ReplyDeleteI saw a Bobcat walking along side the highway the other day. I was shocked that it was so bold. But it bounded off...We have lots of bunnies too...but I've noticed a decidedly decreased population because a red fox and a coyote is frequently seen running between our houses. One time I was out messing in my flowers and a fox came by with a bunny in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteMy cats go CRAZY when they see chipmunks and my DH lets them out to scare them off as chipmunks are the bane of his existence :) HA!
You have so many wonderful critters there!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, you just have a Bob-Cat feeding ground in your yard!
ReplyDeleteWe have lots more bunnies this year too and the Bob-Cats have made their way up from our nearby creek. The other thing we've noticed around here is that the Maple trees have dropped so many more helicopters this year -- more than I have ever seen in my life -- and the squirrels and ground squirrels are very happy to gather helicopters.
ReplyDelete