A visitor in the yard

SALISBURY — Douglass Smith discovered what seems to be a bobcat, hunting some kind of small prey in his yard on Chatfield Drive in Lakeville on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 6.

“Over the years we’ve had various bobcats around the property,” he said. 

“Last winter there was a mother and three kittens that we and our neighbors saw roaming around hunting at various times. They can be hard to photograph since they tend to go through the property quickly. 

“This one stuck around awhile. I imagine it might be one of the kittens from last winter, since it seems a little young.

“We were assuming it was a bobcat because of the bobtail and mane around the face. You can’t easily see the bobtail in the photos, though in the photo above it shows a little.

“I think it was hunting chipmunks, since it spent awhile staring at a chipmunk hole in the lawn. After a few minutes it seemed to get bored and was just going after anything it could.”

— Cynthia Hochswender