(October 2024). This December will mark the two year anniversary of the construction of our “test” bobcat dens. Initial construction of the dens began on November 10, 2022, with excavation to carve out four flat foundations on which to build. Over the next several weeks, we built the cat houses, complete with two drain pipe entrances and an internal trail camera to monitor any activity inside the dens. Finally, on December 9, 2022, a backhoe was used to bury the dens, and we sat back to wait and see who might take a liking to our handywork. Finally, to add a little “curb appeal’ and make them look more natural, we piled brush on top of the buried dens in the summer of 2023. Below are a few images from the den construction:
Dr. Andy Roberts, standing on the foundation of what will become one of four bobcat dens.
Dr. Shauna Weyrauch standing next to one of the constructed dens.
Jim Buxton operating the backhoe to bury one of the dens.
Student research assistant Julia White posing next to a den after we covered it with tree limbs and brush.
So far, groundhogs and raccoons have been the most common occupants of the dens, but we’ve had a wide variety of visitors. Opossum, mice, rabbits, squirrels, and a red fox have all ventured in, and even more species have explored the dens from the outside, poking their noses into the drain pipes but not committing. These include coyotes, domestic cats, a great horned owl, and — yes — bobcats! Bobcats have made at least six visits to the dens, peering into the entrances. One one occasion, an adult female brought her kitten with her, and even peed at the entrance to mark it! Although we haven’t yet documented a bobcat entering one of the structures, we’re hoping that time and visits from other animals have given them a more hospitable feel, and that this will be the year a bobcat uses of of our dens!
Female bobcat marking the entrance to Den #1 (note: kitten is nearly under her tail!)
Also of interest, red foxes have visited our dens on at least nine occasions, and we would be very happy if they decided to use one of our dens, too! The weather is turning cooler, and mating season for fox and bobcats is right around the corner. Here’s hoping our artificial dens provide a good place for either species to have their young this winter/spring!
A red fox investigates Den #1.