Various “Hellos” and “Gathering Her Flock”

20 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, harassment by other animals, hunting

Today I was watching two young coyotes hunt when I saw a dog and its owner in the distance come over a hill and down the path I was on. The coyotes have seen this calm dog and walker often, and normally wait back and watch them. But this time I was surprised that the two coyotes actually walked towards them, as if to greet them!! At about 80 feet the walker stopped to watch, at which point the coyotes went off the trail to hunt, and to watch back. When the walker and her dog proceeded on her walk, the coyotes got in FRONT of them, appearing to “lead” the way back to where they had been when they first saw the walker. I’ve seen this “leading from in front” before. The young coyotes seemed to have been communicating “So pleased to see you!”

This is when the third coyote showed up — the two young ones were way ahead of us now. This third coyote is a dominant female and the mother of the young ones. She has always “greeted” this benign, easy-going dog with a warning display consisting of a direct, steely-eyed gaze, and a hunched-over, snarly expression, often while pawing at the ground. There’s nothing lackluster about this greeting: it was noticed, even though the walker and dog did not alter their behavior except to stop for just a moment — they walked on.  I was now with the walker in back of the younger coyotes, and maybe the mom thought we were “following” them.  Her greeting lasted only a few seconds. Then, as I have seen before, this mother coyote seemed to “gather” her two young ones to lead them off or head them “home”  for the day:  she was “gathering her flock”.  The walker continued on, the young coyotes disappeared into the underbrush, and the matronly mom remained back, sitting atop a rock for a few more minutes before slithering away herself. The mother coyote seemed to be communicating: “I’m doing my job, be forwarned!”

In contrast, a few days ago I was watching these same two young coyotes as they hunted quietly off to the side of a path. There was no mom around that time. The peacefulness of the scene ended when a group of loud voices could be heard approaching.  At the same time, a dog came running up the trail after the two young coyotes. The two coyotes ran together to the top of a hill where they turned around, tense as rubber bands, and watched intently for further action. Interestingly, the dog didn’t continue to pursue the coyotes. Rather, he seemed happy having “swept the path clean of coyotes”. The coyotes stayed where they were until the group of walkers could be seen visually, and then they disappeared. This particular group of walkers had already proved itself antagonistic towards these coyotes and the coyotes knew to remain out of sight. Here the message from the dog was “Git”, and from the coyotes: “Okay, we’ll go.”

Bluejays Will Harass Coyotes

20 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, Uncategorized

I have seen bluejays flying close to and heard them squawking at a coyote that was close by. Today I saw a bluejay skydiving at a coyote. The bird was obviously trying to dissuade the coyote from sticking around. The coyote looked up and then bucked up and down as the bluejay flapped its wings for a few seconds right over the coyote. The bluejay then flew to a twig less than ten feet away but did not harass the coyote again. The coyote had been minding its own business. This is the first time I’ve seen a bluejay do this. I’ve now seen ravens, bluejays and dogs harass a coyote. It reminded of the two times that my shy little cattle dog was attacked — no one else was attacked, just her, even though there were plenty of dogs and people around!! Once it was by a swarm of bees that went after only her, and once it was by a flock of starlings in front of a grocery store where we heard the same birds had gone after a couple of human individuals. I wonder what a bird’s criteria is for for doing this.

Another Dead Vole

20 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, indirect signs of coyote presence

I found another dead vole today: it was about 4 inches long. It was all wet, as if it had been mouthed — possibly it had been played with. I have now seen a total of four dead voles that had been abandoned by their killers. I wondered why. Could it be that they were just too small? This one was left high on some rocks next to a path. I’m assuming that this was the work of a coyote. However, pet dogs frequently go after small rodents in their burrows: some are eaten, and some are abandoned.

More Wallowing On A Mole

19 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, group activity, perfume bath

Two coyotes walked together along a trail — they appeared to be out on a hunting expedition. One of them veered off the path to pick up a dead mole which had been lying on the grass. As with the rat (see posting of June 16 Dead Rat Toy?), the coyote seemed to know that the dead mole was there — it had either been left there or put there. The coyote carried the mole about three feet and then dropped it. The coyote then trotted back to rejoin the other coyote which had not stopped walking. Again, as before with the rat, the dead animal was not rolled on — at this time. Maybe these dead animals had not been dead long enough to build up a real stink from decomposition — maybe they were not “ripe” enough? Or maybe these were “toys” and the time was not appropriate to play with them? Or maybe there were other things on the coyote’s agenda for the day? It impressed me when I saw the coyote pick up the rat a few days ago and then this mole, that they both might be some kind of toy.

The very next day these same coyotes approached the same mole, which was still in the same place, and they DID wallow on it. Maybe, after at least a full day of decomposing time, the dead animal smelled strong and ready to be used as “perfume”. The first coyote lowered the front part of its neck, snake-like, onto the mole before gleefully rolling on it. The other coyote came over, not only to watch, but because, it too, apparently wanted a turn. It grabbed the mole from right under the first coyote when it had a chance, walked a few paces, and then lowered its shoulders down onto it. The first coyote apparently was through because it trotted off unperturbed. When this second coyote had “finished”, it picked up the mole just for a moment, but then dropped it, abandoning it to join the other coyote. THEN, about fifteen minutes later, a THIRD coyote walked by. This coyote, too, without sniffing around first, just walked right over to the correct spot and picked up the mole, and then carried it about 300 feet this time, to a more “protected” area. Here, the mole was dropped and wallowed on and then carried a little further — maybe to a place where it would be easier remembered for the next time?  On this day, whenever there was wallowing, another coyote was there to watch, and did so very interestedly.

Adoration, Kisses and Muzzle Rubs

19 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in affection, communication, coyote behavior, greetings

There is intense muzzle rubbing and kissing when coyote family members greet each other. Often this is accompanied by enthusiastic jumps and lots of body contact. At my last observation I was in a position to watch one coyote’s purely adoring gaze as the other one approached before the muzzle rubs and kisses: that is the first photo above. The affection and ties within a coyote family are incredible.

Tongue Tips Communicate

19 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in communication, coyote behavior, feelings & emotions

I’m seeing tongue tips pretty often as communication between coyotes. I’ve noticed it between a dog and a coyote, and I’ve noticed it between coyotes themselves.

Between the coyotes, sticking the tip of the tongue out seems to communicate good-will, no harm intended, I’m sorry, let’s get along. With the dog there happened to be antagonistic body language, so there the tongue tip might have communicated “I need you to keep away, but let’s not really fight” — see posting: Significance of a Seemingly Unprovoked Challenge: Coyote reactions to Dogs. Were a couple of those tongue-tips meant to convey something to me?  I noticed this only after blowing up the photos when I got home. Might it have communicated goodwill — I assume this because it would go along with the rest of the coyote’s comportment as I’ve been photographing. I don’t really know, all thoughts are welcome.

A few of the tongue-tips were actually fully extended “kisses”, but these were not greetings or displays of affection. Rather they seemed to be more conciliatory expressions.  At the thistle, the tongue-tip could have been an indication of tentativeness and carefulness: this would actually conform with the other “tongue-tips as communication”.

Antagonistic At First, But Then Only Watchful?

16 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in communication, coyote behavior, coyote reactions to dogs

This morning a coyote was on a path as a walker and her dog approached. The dog is a mild one with no interest in coyotes. This particular coyote has watched this dog and knows it is a benign animal. Normally nothing happens, but these two animals keep an eye on each other. The dog always seems to communicate its disinterest and casualness, whereas the coyote seems to communicate its watchfulness. This morning when the dog and walker came to within about 80 feet, the coyote put on its bluffing act. The coyote was on the same path and the walker and dog were coming towards it. The coyote is a dominant female mother of yearlings. She bucked up in bounces, arched her back, lowered her head and pawed at the straw on the ground kicking it up. The display is the same as the one I posted with another dog in:  A Coyote Takes The Initiative: Following & Leading

The walker and dog ignored the coyote and kept walking. Then I could see that the coyote’s two yearling pups showed up, ambling down the same path towards their mother, but in back of the walker.  Ahh, this was the reason for the warning display. This situation I have seen often now: it is a clear antagonistic warning directed at the dog.  This coyote seems more prone to this kind of behavior when her pups, albeit adult pups, are around — I’ve seen it a couple of times when I did not see the pups, but then again, the pups may have been hidden. I think it has less to do with personal space — the distance at which a wild animal feels safe from a potential intruder — than with a need to blatantly communicate a “don’t hurt us” or “don’t threaten us” warning.

After the dog walked passed, the mother and her two pups engaged in their normal affectionate greetings: kisses and muzzle rubs. Then the group of three coyotes followed a short distance and climbed up on a hill to observe. The dog walker and I observed back. As we did so, the dog grabbed a long stick stick, lay down, and began chewing on it. This must have fascinated one of the coyote pups, because it watched intently. It was obvious that the dog enjoyed chewing on his stick immensely — rolling on the ground, comfortable and happy with its find. The young coyote watched and gingerly came down to investigate, its curiosity must have been overpowering. Since this dog has been seen many times by these coyotes as completely benign and non-aggressive, it probably was not such a daring investigation after all by the coyote pup. The dog did bark at the coyote, but it was good naturedly: “okay, I’ll play your game by giving you a stand-off bark now and then”. While this happened, the dog remained lying down with his stick. The young coyote observed, ALWAYS coming in closer from in back of the dog. It seems that ultimately what the coyote wanted was just to “touch” the dog. It did “touch” the end of the stick. The owner then called her dog and that was the end of this interaction.

Interestingly, the mother had seemed very defensive and guarded about her space and her pups earlier when this dog approached on the path. Now, as her pup approached this same dog, although she watched intently, she stayed back herself and just watched! After the dog and walker had moved on, the three coyotes went off together. Please note that it is not a wise idea to let your dog interact with a coyote.

Strong Sense of Smell

16 Jun 2010 18 Comments

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, smell

Recently I’ve observed two incidents of a coyote using its strong sense of smell. In the first incident, the coyote appeared to be looking for something. This coyote trotted back and forth, looking around. Finally, it stuck its nose up high, as if reading the wind, and headed off to where the trees become thick. The coyote disappeared into this area for a few minutes, and then, TWO coyotes emerged! So the coyote had been looking for its friend! After finding him, the coyote waited for the other to come with him. Most domestic dogs have an extremely strong sense of smell, and a coyote’s appears to be stronger. I was told that part of the nose smelling system of these animals is really much closer to our human tongues: that the animals almost “lick” the air to pick up a scent that we humans would not be able to detect at all. I once sat about 70 feet off of a path in a wooded area where a number of dogs came to check me out — they could only have found me by smell. The first six photos belong to this first instance of a coyote using its sense of smell.

The second incident was more interesting, and is depicted in the last nine photos. A coyote evaded a woman and her leashed dog coming down the path that the coyote was on by moving off the path about 30 feet into an area protected by bushes. The coyote did not hide — we all could see it; and the coyote kept its eyes glued on the dog and walker.  After the walkers had moved on about 150 feet, the coyote came back to the path where it watched them walk off into the distance. Then the coyote proceeded to “sniff” the ground where the walkers had trod, as if seeing them walk by had not been enough — it needed to gather more information about them through smell. After a substantial amount of time doing this, the coyote walked in the opposite direction in which the walkers had gone. I’ve put in enough photographs to show how intently the coyote smelled the area. I wonder what kind of information the coyote was after?  Possibly gender, reproductive status, dominance?? Or even if a “message” had been left for the coyote??

That a coyote might want to “perfume” itself by rolling on a smelly dead animal such as a snake, lizard or vole makes sense. If other animals can detect a coyote’s presence simply by its smell, masking its own smell with a much stronger odor would serve the coyote well by allowing him to parade around incognito as he goes about hunting!!

[See more recent posting on how dogs, and also coyotes, “see” with their noses: http://coyoteyipps.com/2015/02/09/coyotes-see-with-their-noses/]

Hunkering Down For Rest

16 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, rest and sleep, resting

Where do coyotes hunker down for their rest? It appears it is right under the open sky in plein air, and not necessarily in the bushes!! I followed a coyote for about ten minutes as it hunted, it moved on a little, it sat and watched, and then it moved on some more, repeating this sequence. I moved on, too, behind it. Then it sat down and glared at me a couple of times: “yea, what do you want.”  I was getting ready to abandon the coyote when it moved one more time, so again, I peeked over at it. At this time of year the grasses are very tall and I could not see through them very well. However, I could barely discern that the coyote had stopped where another coyote was already lying down — I could just barely make out the ears. This second coyote did not get up. Instead, the first coyote lay down right beside the first!! My own wanderings and observations had obviously ended for that day!

I’ve heard that coyotes actually only use their dens for the first five weeks or so of life, and that slowly they move further and further off from the den area for resting. My thought is that, by varying resting and sleeping locations, the coyotes are actually keeping fleas from building up in an area. These coyotes do have fleas because I’ve consistently seen them scratch themselves.

The End of A Playtime

16 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, feelings & emotions, playing

After watching any type of animal for a while, one becomes adept at reading feelings. Coyotes have the same intense feelings we humans have. Yesterday I was privileged to watch two coyotes play enthusiastically and joyfully: their smiles and exuberant chasing and wrestling were infectious as I watched them. Then, one disappeared from the scene. That is common for me to see. But what I also saw this time was the behavior of the one left behind. It looked for the first coyote, but could not find it. It’s entire stance and energy changed as it realized the playing was over. It trotted slowly, I would say forlornly, down the path about 200 yards and disappeared. Its change of behavior, the forlorn aspect, was as infectious to me, the observer, as had been the joy with which they had been playing.

Dead Rat Toy?

16 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior, playing Tags:

A few days ago two young coyotes were playing and chasing each other exuberantly — that is how I’ve always seen these coyotes play. Soon, one ran down a hill and picked up a dead rat. It had to have been dead because the coyote just picked it up without a struggle — I only noticed it once it was in the coyote’s mouth. It was a large rat, bigger than the gophers I have seen them catch. The coyote looked at me and then carried the large rat about 50 feet before depositing it in an area of tamped down grass as I and the other coyote looked on. I could not see any details of the coyote’s behavior as it put down the rat because of the tall grass that separated me from him, but I do know that the rat was not rolled on and it was left entirely whole.

Most of us would avoid a dead rat because of the diseases it carries. Coyotes are known to eat carrion — but it did not do so in this case. So, I’m wondering what purpose a dead rat might serve: was it a toy?

Family, Frolicking, Folly. . . and Communication

13 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in affection, coyote behavior, family interactions, group activity, playing

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Images speak louder than words. See for yourself! There are 65 slides — a long sequence. Mom mostly kept an eye on things as the young ones played. To note: exuberant smiling, tip of the tongue exposed, ears laid way back, wrestling with the winner on top, wrestling up on the hindlegs, chasing, stretching, yawning, rolling in smelly stuff, sniffing, watching dog walkers that didn’t see them, monitoring: the mom running to her pup’s defense — which turned out not to have been necessary, rubbing against a tree, teasing, looking up for crows, tails straight out or up, open muzzles over the other’s closed muzzle, a muzzle open onto the other’s back, annoyance, kissing apologies, nipping at legs, reaching out with a forearm, mounting, urinating on or immediately in back of mom (WHOA! Is this possession??). The mounting is performed by one coyote on both the male sibling — this is all in play — and the mother who always remained seated but seemed to allow this behavior in her pup until she got tired of it.

The playlist includes a mother and her two male pups who were born in the springtime of 2009. Of course, there is a lot more going on than playing: there is intense communication. Fighting never broke out because of the communication. The communication seemed to follow a pattern. A couple of times it seemed as if the playing was taken right to the limit of tolerance. I’m sure there was much more communication going on than what I was seeing, but I’ve noted a few things here.

I’ll give a couple of examples.  1) One coyote sniffed a spot on the ground, the second coyote joined in, the first narrowed its eyes and then bared its teeth in warning, the second seemingly communicated that no threat was intended by showing the tip of its tongue in a “semi-kiss”;

2) A coyote pup pursued the mom (look at his intense gaze — a gaze with intention), rubbing against her and watching her face for reactions, he then mounted her in a tight hug even though she stayed seated. She put up with this for a moment, then turned on him baring her teeth, but then both displayed the tips of their tongues, and he further apologized by extending his tongue even more and then actually kissing her;

3) Mom did not want to frolick with the pups — she kept her head low and her ears out to the sides “airplane ears” — but also the ears were back which could indicate anger. Notice that one of the pups reads her desires well: he studies her expressions and sticks out the tip of his tongue, then solicitously following her will. The other coyote reads her less well or really wants his way — she ends up baring her teeth at him in addition to having her ears back.  He leaves her alone after marking her, or right in back of her (!!!);

4) This same persistent coyote pup headed over to his brother, probably trying to get him to play by opening his jaw onto his back and then mounting him. The second coyote was slow to react but didn’t particularly like this. He bent over to the side and bared his teeth while standing still, as the persistent one continued. Finally the second coyote stuck out the tip of his tongue solicitously, showing goodwill, and the two began to play.

Could the “tip-of-the-tongue” be an indicator of goodwill and non-aggression? These coyotes smiled as they played with their tongues either lolling out to the side of the mouth or held in. Playing consisted mostly of chasing and wrestling and folly.

Myca of Twin Peaks

12 Jun 2010 1 Comment

by yipps:janetkessler in Uncategorized

It was three years ago today that I encountered my first urban coyote, right in the middle of San Francisco. It was a thrilling experience which launched me on the “coyote adventure” which I have been involved in since that time. I photograph coyotes when I can and I observe their behavior: I post what I come up with on my website and blog.

I self-published a little booklet about that first coyote: “Myca of Twin Peaks”, which sold at cost in about ten of our independent bookstores in San Francisco. Copies are still being printed. The booklet was printed in the wake of two coyotes having been shot in our Golden Gate Park. The coyotes had bitten a Ridgeback and therefore were considered “aggressive”. What was later found out was that the Ridgeback, a regular walker in the area, was unleashed and continually chased the coyotes in that area which included a den. The two coyotes were parents doing what all parents do: protecting their young ones from danger, from an unleashed dog which continually went after them.

The booklet depicts my observation of a coyote as mild-natured with lots of personality. The juxtaposition and seeming contradiction of “wild” and “urban” upped the excitement of seeing one. I had never encountered anything so truly “wild” right on my own path in the city. This first coyote encounter was so unexpected. It was so immediate. It revealed the depth of personality of the animals around us. And, it opened the door to me about interspecies communication and good will.

Please remember that coyotes are first and foremost wild animals, in spite of all of their charming behaviors. Please lets keep them this way. For your own safety and theirs, do not approach coyotes, and never feed them. Feeding them has been implicated in causing them to eventually become aggressive towards humans. And always keep your dog leashed in a coyote area. Humans need to give so little to make co-existence work.

Crows and Ravens

11 Jun 2010 8 Comments

by yipps:janetkessler in competition for resources, coyote behavior, harassment by other animals, hunting Tags:

Crows and ravens are quite similar and quite different. Both are extremely intelligent birds — they have been known to use tools! Crows tend to like urban settings whereas ravens prefer more natural settings. Ravens weigh about four times more than crows and have a wingspan of almost 4 feet versus 2.5 for the crow. Crows caw whereas ravens tend to croak! Tail feathers in flight are more diamond-shaped for a raven, with a slight point, whereas for a crow the configuration of the tail feathers is more of a fan-shape: more rounded or even flat at the tip of the tail. The beaks of ravens are much more robust than that of crows. And, ravens have more vocal ability: a friend today told me that all was quiet as he was taking photos of ravens, and then the ravens began mimicking the click of his camera!!  Both are raptors, which means they do eat prey among other things. They eat rodents, carrion, berries, refuse. They are scavengers. These birds will sometimes work as a team: two are more effective than one.  So, for instance, I often see crows pursuing and attacking a red-tail hawk. A red-tail hawk is a larger bird, but the crows work in pairs or even more — their advantage in such a situation is that there are more of them. I don’t think a red-tail has ever really been “hurt” by these attacks. Rather, the crows are driving the hawks away from their main haunts — they are protecting their territorial hunting areas from competition. Maybe they are also protecting their young ones and eggs. The birds depicted on this posting are ravens.

This is a common scenario. Ravens and crows treat coyotes in the same manner and for the same reasons. Coyotes (the dominant alpha ones) treat dogs in the same manner and for the same reasons. Humans treat coyotes and other humans (think of the immigration issue) in the same manner — and that is how it goes.

However, I’ve also read about a symbiotic relationship between crows and coyotes. I’ve seen ravens and coyotes together in various of our parks now. Competition between ravens and coyotes can be understood because they eat the same stuff: rodents, carrion, berries, refuse. They are both scavengers. Yet, I’ve read where they can work together, too. Ravens know how and when to take advantage of other animals to help them bum a meal they couldn’t get on their own. They might wait for a coyote to catch a larger rodent, say a skunk, which they will finish off after the coyote has gone. In Yellowstone, bison that have not survived the severe winter attract the coyotes, whose teeth and  jaws can rip open the tough, frozen hides — making the meat accessible to watchful ravens. Ravens also have followed wild wolf packs to a kill; even flying ahead of the wolves to lead them to prey!

Over the past few weeks I’ve become aware of ravens croaking loudly for 20 minutes or so. This has always been from a particular grove of several trees. I wondered what kind of “party” they might be having!! Several times I walked over, but by then the croaking had ceased.

Then today, I finally saw why these ravens were carrying on so. They were attempting to drive out a little coyote who was hunting in their area — the same as I’ve seen them drive out the red-tail hawks. The ravens were following the coyote and croaking loudly. The coyote kept looking up at them and stayed close to low-lying overhead branches for protection. At one point this coyote approached an open area away from the raven area. This area bordered on a path, and when people passed by, the coyote re-entered the bosque again. Coyotes are very edgy around people and dogs and most will avoid them if at all possible. I’ve added photos above of the little coyote hiding behind a tree, hiding behind some brush, running off from various dog and human situations. And there is a photo of a young coyote hunting — this is, of course, why they are out in the first place. This is the first day I have ever seen a coyote actually rip open a garbage bag. The coyote was hungry and that is why it was out.

Continued Camaraderie Between Siblings & Yelping

11 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by yipps:janetkessler in affection, bonds, coyote behavior, family interactions, group activity

Today I passed two one-year-old twin brother coyotes. What stood out is the amazing camaraderie between them. I’ve seen these two alone individually about the same amount of times that I have seen them together. When they are together they seem totally involved with the other, keeping track of what the other is doing and “joining in” with the other if it looks like fun.

These two noticed me and then ignored me, as usual. One continued walking, but since the other stayed behind to observe, the first came back rather than go on. They both then wandered around separately within my view. One pooped on the trail and then entered the tall grass where he apparently looked for food. The other walked by, and, seeing the one in the tall grass, “pounced in” after it — it was an enthusiastic leap. The grass was tall, so this coyote could not possibly have seen prey from his location, but he pounced in anyway to be with his brother, I think. They both then hunted together. I didn’t see that they caught anything at all. One then came out of the grass and walked a way on the trail. The other then came out, smelled the poop left earlier on the trail by his brother, and then headed away from me down a path, then waited for the other, and the other ecstatically followed.  Further on, where the path diverged, one kept going and the other turned off, but kept his eye on the first. This is when I lost track of both of them.

An hour later I saw their mother in this same location: coyote family life and mutual support is very strong, even after the pups reach a year of age. I wondered if she were looking for them, or monitoring for dog activity. Suddenly I heard a “group yelping” that I had never heard before. Although it sounded like five or six coyotes, I know that it could only have been the two young coyotes I had seen earlier. The minute the mother heard them, she was off in their direction. So this “yelping” was a communication — different from the “barking” which had not elicited a behavioral reaction from other coyotes except for a mild perking up of the ears.

Yelping. The “yelping” was not the “barking” that we are so used to in our urban parks. The “barking” has always been a result of having been chased by a dog: a complaining and possibly a statement of “leave me alone”. This “yelping”, on the other hand, lasted only a minute and had a distinct tone of complaining: could it have been that they, the comrades, were fighting over some food? According to Wyman Meinzer, it is at food caches that hierarchies between coyotes are broken and new orders are established. I wonder if this is what might have been going on? I went to the area where I thought the yelping might have come from, but couldn’t find the coyotes. I then walked along the street where I asked a man if he had heard them. He had just come back in the car from walking his dog and had not heard them, but his wife had. Her thought was that after a “kill” this is how the coyotes called the others. Hmmm. I myself have only seen gophers and voles become prey. I’m wondering now about this “yelping” as communication/calling, and if possibly it might have involved a larger animal of prey such as a skunk? The mother definitely had responded to the “yelping”, whereas I have seen her totally ignore “barking”  from another coyote — each had communicated something totally different.

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