By Stewart Gray

It was an unseasonably warm day for the middle of January and the “guard” dog was fast asleep on the patio chair basking in the sun, when there was a commotion at the chicken coop. Chickens were squawking and bawking and running around. After some prodding, the dog arose from her chair to investigate the situation. Alas, it was too late, and this beautiful bobcat had carried Pickles, a Buff Orpington, 20 feet into a tree. The bobcat won by the looks of its little tail wagging back and forth.

We can only assume that this was the same bobcat that had visited our property as a young cub with its mother about five years prior. Although we were sad to lose Pickles, it was good to know that the neighborhood bobcat family was thriving. We have lost many chickens over the years as it is a constant battle keeping the predators away; chickens really are the perfect prey. And of course, there was the great chicken massacre of 2017 when 14 were taken in one night by, we assume, the same bobcat family. However, we feel fortunate to live in a place where wildlife is so prevalent and would not trade that for anything. Needless to say, the bobcat will be back. In the meantime, we will need to mend some fences.