Not too long ago I was home alone as the clock moved towards 2am when there was an incredibly loud bang on the front door.
At first I debated if I had indeed just heard a collosal knocking or whether I’d just imagined the whole thing out of some kind of sleep deprived hysteria – but before I could come to a conclusion there was another series of bangs on the door.
Now I’m not going to lie to you – I was about one more knock away from folding up into a cowardly ball of fear, however deep down I knew I had to answer the door and face whoever was on the other side in the early hours of a weekday morning.
Anxious and pretty f*cking terrified I strolled to the door, making sure I had a weapon, not necessarily on me, but definitely in reach in case the mystery knocker was about to pummel me in the stomach and rob everything in the house.
What I didn’t know is that my drunken brother had ordered a kebab while walking home; he’d not told me about it, and I was now face to face with a delivery driver who was halfway through an argument with me about how someone at this address had ordered a kebab. Then he eyed up a household deadly weapon and most likely began thinking that I was about to murder him.
Eventually I figured out what had happened and made a profuse and very dramatic apology to the delivery driver and handed him all of the change in my pocket as a tip.
The reason for this pretty bizarre anecdote is to say that when photographer Tim Newton woke up to the sound of rattling on his porch in Alaska, I completely understand how anxious he must’ve been.
Fortunately for me, living in an industrial hellhole in the north of England my intruder was either going to be a robber or a somebody asking for help (or a takeaway deliver driver). In Alaska, however, intruders can be a helluva lot more frightening.
Think bears, bison, mountain goats. All of those grissly beasts you really don’t want to end up in a scrap with while in your pyjamas first thing in the moring.
Bravely, Tim crept up to his screen door to take a look at what was making all the noise when he discovered something utterly beautiful.
Thankfully, as Tim works as a photographer, he immediately picked up his camera and started snapping, before uploading them to his Facebook page and website where you can see, and buy, all of his photographs.
Speaking to UNILAD, Tim explained:
I heard some noises out on our lower deck at is at the bottom of the house. So, I crept over to the window and pulled up the blinds just a crack, and could see it looked like cats were out there. But then I noticed one had little tiny hairs on its ears and very BIG feet!
So I then realized it was probably a lynx kitten! I ran to get my camera … and opened the screen door just a little bit …. and there was a Mama Lynx – I heard her making a noise – and then her seven kits proceeded to start coming onto the deck!
I just stood there just dumbfounded and started taking photos. They were very confused that there might be anything near, because I’m behind the screen but they could hear my camera. That’s why they were all looking at me – they were looking at the noise. They then proceeded to walk onto our large lower deck to play!
It was a very unbelievable encounter. We had never seen them before and probably will never see them again as they travel the terrain so fast in Alaska.
Tim concluded:
It was the experience of a lifetime. I was born and raised here – and I have never seen anything like it!
Now I’m not a fan of cats in general, in fact I’d go so far as to say that I really dislike them, however even for me these photos are so bloody cute.
