This statuesque bobcat (Lynx rufus) was photographed by Elsa Gilbertson (Regional Historic Site Administrator, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation) at Chimney Point State Historic Site in Addison, Vermont a few years ago during construction of the new Champlain Bridge a few years ago.

Suzanne Maye (Lake Champlain Region Marketing Manager, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism) shared the proud Chimney Point bobcat on our Facebook page in response to this post:

That post seems to have struck a chord, having reached almost six thousand people as of today. Similar popularity met the original bobcat article and photograph that we published last Friday documenting a healthy looking bobcat traversing the edge of an Essex meadow. Within three days that blog post was the most popular in three months. In other words, more readers read that article in 2.5 days than all other posts in the previous 90 days!

It’s exciting and encouraging to find that so many of our North Country neighbors are interested in the fauna that help distinguish the uniquely wild character of our communities.

Catnapping Chimney Point Bobcat?

I asked Suzanne Maye for permission to share the Chimney Point bobcat photograph with our blog readers, and she connected me with Elsa Gilbertson who took the photograph. This is what Elsa had to say about the thick-coated cat guarding the south end of porch at the Chimney Point State Historic Site.

The bobcat was there for several hours, “cat” napping but very alert also. He/She was between the bridge construction and the temporary ferry and couldn’t really go anywhere. A number of the bridge construction workers saw the bobcat also. ~ Elsa Gilbertson

Alert indeed! Habitually reclusive bobcats are infrequently experienced like this. Perhaps the bridge construction activity was so slooow that it lulled the curious cat into a meditative state…

Many thanks to Elsa Gilbertson and Suzanne Maye for telling the Chimney Point bobcat story.