Now a Bobcat – More El Cerrito Wildlife

We wouldn't be surprised to learn that bobcats are commonly seen around homes in the El Cerrito hills near Wildcat Canyon Regional Park.

But in the nearly 20 months since we began publishing El Cerrito Patch, we'd never heard of any until last night (Wednesday), when the Arlington Neighbors email list sent out a "Bobcat Sighting" alert.

It quoted a resident, who wrote:

"I was driving home (this evening) and spotted a turkey and two deer on Bayview.  Further down the road on Terrace at the house with the ‘for sale’ sign and vacant lot also with for sale sign, I spotted a small bobcat sitting in the field just before Gelston Place.  Just a reminder to keep small pets/children indoors and exercise caution at this time."

The report follows a by former El Cerrito Mayor Rich Bartke about his close encounters with skunks, deer, coyotes and foxes. They join our frequent reports on the , not to mention an annual .

And we don't even want to think about the bobcat's big cousin, .