A beautiful Bobcat, Lynx rufus, paid a visit to Emily Nelson's place on the Gualala Ridge and Emily captured several great photographs. I've read that Bobcats prefer to eat Rabbits and Hares but they will eat anything from insects all the way up to Deer. Here on the Mendonoma Coast we mostly see them hunting Gophers.
Once in a while someone will mistake a Bobcat for a Mountain Lion, which is pretty ridiculous. Bobcats are about twice the size of a domestic cat and have a bobbed tail. Mountain Lions are three to five feet long and have a long tail. They weigh well in excess of a hundred pounds. Emily's Bobcat visitor doesn't weigh more than 30 pounds. I thank her for allowing me to share her photo here.