Coyote Yipps

These three coyotes were like mirror images of each other this morning. They walked in a single-file together. They sniffed the ground, all in a line, at the exact same time.  And then they climbed this ledge which served as a lookout for them.  They were all reacting to three large and bulky dogs, tightly leashed, and their fairly large owner. Actually the third dog was not large, but it added to the overall amplitude of the group.

The walker and her dogs hadn’t just walked through the area — that would have been the normal thing to do. Instead, they “hung-out”, as the walker later told me, and this behavior must have alarmed the coyotes somewhat. The dogs and owner walked around off the beaten path and even sat down to watch the coyotes. Being tightly leashed, the group could be seen as a cohesive, and intimidating whole. If this is what impressed me, I’m sure this is what impressed the coyotes.

One of the dogs was an exceedingly large pit-bull, and another was a very large muzzled dog — I was told that the muzzle was because this dog became aggressive when it encountered un-neutered male dogs. The third dog was a small dog, but, as I said, it added to the bulk of the group. All the dogs were very friendly — it was just their visual impact which was daunting.

I did not see the coyotes’ nor the dogs’ reactions to each other: it would have been enlightening to see this.  I arrived only in time to see the coyotes very purposefully trot over to where the dogs had been, where they sniffed out the area, and then climbed up the ledge where they stood dead still — all in a row — as they watched the dogs leave the area.

Here is a young fellow slithering down a hillside on its stomach. First, there was a very blasé yawn, indicating that maybe the coyote was feeling a bit bored: it had been sitting on a hilltop watching for some activity which never materialized. Then there was a long stretch. The front legs remained extended far out in front of the coyote:  alternatively pulling the coyote’s entire body forwards. The back legs were just dragged along. Might this have been a form of entertainment? Or maybe it was giving itself a belly scratch? When it was through, it got up and walked off slowly.

It was only because the same thing was going on with me that I understood what was happening with a coyote, barely visible up on the horizon at twilight. The photos are not too good because of the great distance and dark hour.  I myself was contending with swarms of mosquitos, and they were winning. I looked up to see this coyote engaged in its own mosquito battle: the coyote was repeatedly snapping at them, batting them with a paw, shaking itself, rubbing its face and twitching its ears. The final remedy that worked was to get up and move on: it worked for me. It probably worked for this coyote!

Sunday I observed from the bridge looking north into the 100 acre sanctuary.  My goal was to photograph one or more of my coyotes scooting under a chain link fence’s gate.  The fence encloses the sanctuary.  The gate allows service vehicles and coyotes to pass between the areas to the north and to the south.

Mom came sauntering down the road towards the gate.  I lifted my camera and she halted at once.  She stared at me for a few moments and sat down.  Coyotes are able to sit and watch for lengths of time unendurable to me in fading light.  Just the evening before she and two others had fled south from the northern area and had ignored my presence.  Now she walked and sat as though she owned the north.  I crossed the street to look south from the bridge.  I hoped at least to get a picture of her passing into their field.

I waited a quarter hour before seeing her.  She surprised me.  I didn’t see her passing into their field.  Instead she popped out of the brush moving east to west just south of the bridge.  Then she bent her front legs and sprung her shoulders up, front legs rising almost off the ground.  Her display conveyed displeasure and was followed by her marking dirt.  These aggressive displays were the first I’ve received from her.  She calmed down and lingered long enough to be photographed.  The flash startled her though from that she recovered quickly.  Then she continued south and, before going very far, left the road for cover.  I neither saw nor heard other coyotes and left in just under another hour.

Posting written by Charles Wood. Visit Charles Wood’s website for these and more coyote photos: Charles Wood. His work is copyrighted and may only be used with his explicit permission.