This story was originally published in April 2023.
Just when you think he couldn’t possibly capture any cooler footage, one of our favorite trail camera photographers comes up with something amazing.
Today’s offering comes from Colin Chase of Gray, from a popular location he calls “The Ledges” which provides the backdrop for an incredible video. This time, it involves a couple of predators, one of which clearly wants to turn the other into its dinner.
Chase’s video, recorded on Jan. 21, opens with a bobcat walking calmly through the snow into an opening in the rock formation. That’s when an eastern coyote, which clearly knows the lay of the land, comes into the frame from above the rocks.
It may well be that the bobcat was in search of a hiding place, given that the coyote was hot on its trail. Sensing or hearing the coyote’s arrival, the startled bobcat bolts out of the opening at breakneck speed.
The coyote hears the movement and quickly wheels back around the rock to give chase.
Coyotes are adaptable omnivores that can adjust their diet to whatever food sources might be available at a given time, but it seems a bit surprising that the canid was targeting a bobcat.
“That’s an interesting video and a rare encounter,” said Shevenell Webb, furbearer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, who tried to provide some perspective on the encounter.
“Coyotes are not typical predators of bobcats, but they are capable given the right circumstances,” Webb said. “Younger animals are certainly more naive and vulnerable to predation in general. An adult bobcat is difficult for a coyote to pursue because cats can climb trees, but coyotes are incredibly opportunistic.”
If the bobcat in the video was able to scramble up a tree, it probably was able to avoid becoming the coyote’s next meal.
The entire episode lasts only 16 seconds, which means a lot happens in a short period of time. However, Chase uses his editing wizardry to convert the clip into slow motion, which enables viewers to enjoy the beauty, speed and agility of these two predators.
We can’t thank Colin Chase enough for allowing us to share his videos with Bangor Daily News readers. Be sure to check out his “Maine Woodsbooger” YouTube channel for more compelling wildlife videos from the woods, waters and mountains of Maine.
