'It was amazing': Suspected bobcats spotted in Brunswick backyard
A group of wild cats trying to catch fish through melting ice on a small pond surprised a Rensselaer County family on New Year's morning
Pete DeMola
Jan. 1, 2023Updated: Jan. 1, 2023 3:36 p.m.
 1of9What appeared to be bobcats seen in a backyard in Brunswick, NY on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.
Photo provided/Stefano Delnevo
BRUNSWICK — A household in Brunswick awoke on New Year’s Day to find unexpected guests prowling around the yard.
They appeared to be bobcats, the residents said, four of them.
Stefano Delnevo shared rare photos of the large cats catching fish on a melting frozen pond in Brunswick’s Eagle Mills neighborhood.
A video clip reveals one of the creatures pouncing through the ice and toying with a fish, which the cat eventually caught before scampering back into a wooded area, Delnevo said.
"It was amazing," said Delnevo, a guest of the homeowner. "They were catching fish. The only other time I saw a bobcat was a flash that ran across the street."
Bobcats, which are about twice the size of a domestic cat, are typically found in the Adirondacks, Catskills and Taconic regions, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
State wildlife experts say bobcats also occur occasionally in western New York, a possible breeding area.
Bobcats are "usually are not present where there are continuous human population centers," according to the state agency. "However, they can use patches of habitat if the patches are not completely isolated by urban development."
But such sightings are often confused with another wild cat, the Canada lynx, officials acknowledge. Bobcats can be distinguished from lynx because the latter has "huge, seemingly oversized paws" and a characteristic black-tipped tail. The cats in question Sunday appeared to have white-tipped tails.
The DEC says there have been lynx sightings in New York, but it's suspected the animals are traveling through the state, rather than living here. "It is clear from these that New York still has an occasional lynx passing through. We do not know of any recent instances of lynx breeding in New York," the state says.
When large cats are seen it can cause a slight stir, such as in Rye Brook in February 2022 when police in the Westchester County community put out an alert on bobcats roaming suburban neighborhoods, according to NBC4NY.
And while pet owners might want to take note if there are sightings around the carnivorous cats, the animals are typically reclusive, not a threat to humans and can easily be driven away by loud noises.
Bobcats typically feed on small animals, like squirrels and rabbits.
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