Saw the "bobcat" again...

[Kaesi2020]

Hi everyone! We lost a bird the other evening during free range time to a bobcat- it was rainy, foggy, and dusk. We were inside at the time. Since then we have been super vigilant and if they are free ranging we are literally right next to them. It's 90 degrees and sunny here today. I let my five hens out for a supervised dust bath in front of our yard and who do I see slinking past the high brush 10 yards away, the bobcat. Just like everyone said on here, now that it discovered our chickens and got a taste, it is stalking and waiting....

I did not get a look at the tail but all I can say is that it is sandy colored, solid colored (I did not notice any spots at all) and has very muscular neck and shoulders.

We have the chickens back in the coop and have our windows open in case it gets bold and goes over to them.

 

[the_peanut_coop]

How long was the tail?

 

[Kaesi2020]

How long was the tail?

Unfortunately it was covered by the brush and grass we set up a game camera in that spot so I'm hoping I have footage to share in the next few days...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Solid sandy colored, muscular. Could you see the head, ears? Sure it was a bobcat and not a cougar?

 

[CluckerFamily]

Bobcats are smaller than a cougar, maybe comparing the size of the grass it was in may help you determine if it was a bobcat.
Solid, sandy color makes me think cougar as well.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Solid sandy colored, muscular. Could you see the head, ears? Sure it was a bobcat and not a cougar?

It was so camouflaged and passed so quickly that it was hard to distinguish features beyond the color and huge muscles. The face was solid colored too. According to the DEC we do not have mountain lions here but many people have stories of seeing one. I'm hoping our game cameras can help confirm the I.D.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Bobcats are smaller than a cougar, maybe comparing the size of the grass it was in may help you determine if it was a bobcat.
Solid, sandy color makes me think cougar as I woj

Bobcats are smaller than a cougar, maybe comparing the size of the grass it was in may help you determine if it was a bobcat.
Solid, sandy color makes me think cougar as well.

It was long, lean and very muscular. Estimating from my short glimpse I would say it was about two feet high. Not sure how long it was...

 

[Salixx]

Bobcats can have a sandy, solid look to them, take a look at this link for example:
https://roadsendnaturalist.com/2014/07/03/a-rare-day/bobcat-looking-at-me-in-road/

You're only about an hour and a half south of me. While cougars are a possibility - sometimes they venture down from Canada- they've been extirpated from our region for a long time and confirmed sightings are incredibly rare.

Do you have a dog (or friend's dog)? Even a smaller dog could be beneficial by patrolling the yard with you. If you can, clearing some of the brush would help too. Bobcats are generally very skittish and prefer to stay hidden from view - removing the hideouts could make your property less appealing.

 

[McChooky]

You never know when ones around.We have a ton of owls and coyotes, our biggest threats.

 

[cmom]

When we caught the bobcat that killed our birds years ago. At first I thought it was a Florida cougar or panther. I didn't notice the spots either. I'm pretty sure this is the same cat I have been seeing on my cameras recently. I put electric wires around my coops and pens, good heavy duty netting covering my pens and concrete under the gates. I don't free range anymore due to losses from predators in the past but the birds have nice large pens. I think the cat knows the electric wires are there. Good luck...

This is the one that killed 14 of my birds one night. It made the mistake of coming back.