Never before have I seen so many lynx. I was astounded.”
If the culprits hadn’t been so incredibly cute, it may have been viewed as a nasty awakening.
Tim Newton is used to watching wildlife cross his yard because he lives in Alaska on land that borders a sizable natural area. However, on this specific morning, a group of cuddly wild cats chose to use his doorstep as a playground rather than merely passing by. Newton was still asleep when this started, but a commotion quickly woke him up.
“It was almost daybreak. Something scrambling on the deck, that’s what I heard,” Newton said to The Dodo. “When I awoke from my sleep, I was like, ‘What the heck is that?'” I then dressed in my bathrobe and carefully drew back the curtain. And there it was, a lynx kitten, two feet away. He was observing while seated.
It turned out that three or four lynx kittens were having a sort of party on top of Newton’s deck.
Thank goodness he reached for his camera.
“They were running back and forth, pouncing on each other,” Newton said. “I started snapping away. I thought, ‘Wow! What incredible luck. This just beats all. This is just wonderful!'”
Since lynx are so elusive, Newton has only seen them a few times in the wild. So it was extremely exciting for him to have the chance to take close-up photos of them from the comfort of his own house.
“They were so cute. It was cute-tastic,” Newton said. “It was amazing.”
However, it improves much further.
The small lynx entered Newton’s yard from his deck after a few minutes. Even though the playtime had only just started, he assumed it must be over. Newton was looking out of his screen door when he heard the mother of the kitten mewing in the grass. Then all seven of her children filed back onto his deck, her following suit, one by one.
“I’ve never seen so many lynx,” Newton said. “To see all these lynx on my deck, I was gobsmacked.”
It seems that the lynx was hidden behind the screen when he took their picture. They all stayed together for a while at one point so that Newton could obtain the ideal family photo.
It seems that the lynx was hidden behind the screen when he took their picture. They all stayed together for a while at one point so that Newton could obtain the ideal family photo.
Newton developed a great deal of respect for the kittens’ mother after noticing how boisterous they were.
“She has her hands full,” he said. “I’ve concluded that lynx must spend 1 percent of their waking lives chasing rabbits, and 99 percent chasing their kids. What a handful!”
With the exception of one, who approached the screen to investigate, Newton was able to get some amazing shots of the lynx, who appeared to be completely unaware of his presence. It didn’t go smoothly.
“I don’t know why I did this — maybe to say to him, ‘Oh, what a cute little kitty!’ — but I pulled the camera away from my face a little, and my eyes showed,” said Newton. “The terrified expression on the kitten’s face! With his eyes wide open, he simply took off from me! However, the rest were blind to it.”
The encounter with the lynx ended just as happily as it had begun. The mother lynx gathered up her kittens carelessly, deciding that playtime was ended, and they marched back into the forest together. According to Newton, the entire experience felt like a miracle.
“We’re always thrilled to encounter wildlife,” he said. “It makes me feel thankful — thankful for where I live. I’m thankful to have seen these lynx up close.”
