Intruder, by Charles Wood

05 Sep 2012 2 Comments

by yipps in coyote behavior, interloper, territoriality

Intruder

I got a surprise Tuesday when a coyote I’ve never seen before showed up in my pack’s territory. The adult female intruder was checking out some of the places where I often see my pack. Though not entirely clear from the photograph above, she has the eyes of a Husky. She looked well fed, self-satisfied, and slightly wet.

My pack’s territory has pooled irrigation water as much as six inches deep. My dog has used those pools to cool off on hot days, walking in and sitting down. The intruder’s chest was mottled by dampness and her pasterns were marked by mud. She too may have used those pools to cool off. Then again, when she went out she went down into the riverbed and may have been damp from having swam in.

I didn’t see any of my coyotes around. They either weren’t there or were non-confrontationally laying low and waiting for the intruder to leave. Certainly the intruding female knew she was in an area claimed by other coyotes. When she did leave she left quickly. Maybe she was able to see a bit of my coyotes that the dusk didn’t allow me to see.

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

When the Cats Are Away….

06 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment

by yipps in coyote behavior, exploring, interloper, territoriality

In each of the parks I frequent, I always see the same coyotes. These coyotes claim their territories, keeping other coyotes, for the most part, out. But the coyotes also engage in excursions to other areas, and I’m not sure what their claim is to these other areas — are they just interlopers?  When they make these excursions — and who knows what they go checking out or why — they are not at home to oversee their own territory. Hmmm….

So, today, the resident coyotes in one of the parks were gone. And…. the “intruder” took it upon herself to roam and explore their home territory in their absence. This is the most I’ve ever seen of her. She did a lot of sniffing and roaming, and she fled quickly from a couple of walkers who saw her. But, interestingly, although I found one small piece of scat on a trail before I became aware of her — and I have no idea if it was hers, I did not see this intruder coyote “mark” at all as she explored. Was she avoiding leaving her scent? Exploring coyote behavior is a voyage of discovery for me, too, and very fascinating!