The squirrel chattering loudly on a branch overhead was sooo enticing! The tree was way too thin for a coyote to climb, but maybe leaping would work? It didn’t.
Coyote Yipps
Information and stories about San Francisco coyotes: behavior & personality, coexistence & outreach, by Janet Kessler: Unveiling first-hand just how savvy, social, sentient and singular coyotes really are!
- Home
- Bio
- Coyote Eating Habits in SF: Gallery
- Coyote Voicings: Howls, Yips, Barks, & More
- My YouTube VIDEOS
- SF Families to 7/22
- Take A Short Coyote Survey
- Territories & Population in SF
- UrbanCoyoteSquared: GALLERIES
- *FIRST: A Guidelines and Safety Box
- Introducing My Coyote Yipps Blog
- San Francisco as Habitat and Place
- Contents By Topic
- Raising Awareness
About My Site and Me: This website reflects my 17 years of intense, careful, and dedicated field-work — empirical observations — all photo-documented without interfering or changing coyotes’ behaviors. Be welcome here, enjoy, and learn!
Coyotes reappeared in San Francisco in 2002 after many years of absence, and people are still in the dark about them. This site is to help bring light to their behavior and offer simple guidelines for easy coexistence.
My information comes from my own first-hand observations of our very own coyotes here in San Francisco. They have not been studied or observed so thoroughly by anyone else. Mine is not generic information, nor second-hand.
Note that none of the coyotes I document and photograph is “anonymous” to me: I know (or knew) each one of them, and can tell you about their personalities, histories, and their family situations. There have been over 100 of them, distributed among over twenty families, all in San Francisco. Images and true stories have the power to raise awareness and change perspective.
Contact: Janet@coyoteyipps.com
© All information and photos in my postings come from my own original and first-hand documentation work which I am happy to share, with permission and with properly displayed credit: ©janetkessler/coyoteyipps.com.
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Be Aware of Denning Sites
Zoom Talk: Coyotes in San Francisco: Population, Family Life, Stewardship
(A crash course in SF coyotes!)
October 18th Presentation at PHS/SPCA: Inside the Lives of Urban Coyotes
(Another crash course in coyotes generally!)
Instagram: Coyoteyipps
As moms are held up in their dens warming and feeding their newborn pups, dads are outside, guarding their dens ferociously these days! Don’t be fooled by his sleepy appearance: every single time a dog walked by over 100 feet away, he had his head up and his eye on them until they were out of sight! He became absolutely alert when they were around. I had to stand there in the distance before he opened his eyes for me even though he knew I was there . . . “Yea, yea, yea, I know you’re there”, he seemed to be saying. People don't offer the same concern as dogs in urban areas. Swipe for second photo.
This photo sequence actually continues from my last posting where Dad was reacting to his yearlings’ getting too rowdy at point blank range. In that photo he’s just saying, “cool it guys”. But in this photo sequence, he has taken the matter into his own hands more strongly and clamped down on son’s snout. It’s a disciplinary gesture by Dad. It will hurt if son tries to wiggle away, so son remains absolutely still and does not fight to get free.
More of the same — but this time in an exquisite pose! Dad, in the middle, is beginning to react to the two yearlings on either side of him. His mouth is now open, in a silent communication of, "watch yourselves you two!" He doesn't want them becoming rowdy right in front of his face.
I see a lot of similarities between coyote interactions and our own, but here’s a real difference. Remember sticking out your tongue at someone as a kid? It’s usually taunting and rude. In coyotes, in most instances, it appears to mean the opposite: “peace” and “good will”. And I’ve seen this gesture towards humans, meaning the same thing. These three coyotes are all best buddies here — they just spent a morning joyously playing together. However, I’ve also seen a coyote stick out its tongue and curl it up while flicking it, as emphasis to their warning to “Get Away!!” towards threatening dogs.
Hi All Coyote Fans!
When you don’t have a companion around to horse around with, maybe a bottle of water will do! Although you can’t chase it, you can toss it and pounce on it, and it will respond with amazing crackling sounds and even squirts of water. I bet Crystal Springs would love this for their ad campaign! He ended up tearing the bottle apart and lapping up some of the water that remained, and then trotted off, leaving the bottle behind. The bottle had already been trashed by someone else, so he wasn’t polluting the environment by leaving it.
They turned to horsing around again after checking me out. Many people don’t realize how absolutely social coyotes are: they interact and communicate constantly between themselves: in play, with affection, with anger, during greetings, while hunting, etc., communicating constantly through eye-contact and vocalizing between each other and as a group, etc. They live in nuclear families and they each have a very individual relationship with each of the other members of their family: be they their littermates, older siblings, or their parents.
Beach/Dune babies. These siblings just turned one year old: they still know how to have a blast playing chase, racing, wrestling, surprising one another. They stopped their play to check me out. I’ve also watched them spend time grooming and cuddling: they are brothers. But don’t be fooled by their sweet looks and young age. I also watched them approach dogs in a daring sort of way, almost provokingly: please walk away from them or any coyote who approaches you: this is what they want, and coexistence means respecting their need to move you away. Swipe for all three photos.
This is one of the two mother coyotes in San Francisco who, sadly, retain radio-collars. In 2015 the Presidio of San Francisco radio-collared and ear tagged sixteen coyotes, including three years of litters — all from the one family that lived in the Presidio. Most of them were eventually killed by cars. Another female coyote was radio-collared on January 3, 2019. The collars that remain on these two coyotes are non-functional: their self-release mechanisms malfunctioned/failed, which is why, unfortunately, they still have them on. I’ve been assured that the Presidio is not using them now.
This small, just-turned-one-year-old has just become a big sister. Her siblings arrived a little earlier than many of the other litters in San Francisco, some of which still have not arrived yet: they are due any day now. Her job will be to help her parents raise the pups: she’ll help bring in food, babysit, play with and teach them. It’s a solid nuclear family and they all contribute to the needs of the whole.
Coyotes can jump six foot fences, but might as well first figure out if it’s worth the effort.
The crouch before the leap. It’s sort of like pulling a rubber band back before letting it fly.
Be A Coyote Ambassador!
INTRODUCTION PAGES
- Introducing My Coyote Yipps Blog
- Contents By Topic
- Raising Awareness
- Take A Short Coyote Survey
- San Francisco as Habitat and Place
- UrbanCoyoteSquared: GALLERIES
- Coyote Voicings: Howls, Yips, Barks, & More
- Bio
- *FIRST: A Guidelines and Safety Box
- My YouTube VIDEOS
- Territories & Population in SF
- SF Families to 7/22
- Coyote Eating Habits in SF: Gallery
Top Posts & Pages
Coyotes: What to Know and Do
Download & Print Flyers
- Como espantar a un coyote para que se vaya
- Conflictos con coyotes
- Coyote Advisory from our video
- Coyote Coexistence & Dogs
- Coyote Facts & Fiction
- Coyotes Playing With Dogs
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- Farms and Ranches: the Futility of Killing Coyotes as a Management Tool
- Guía Para Coexistir Con Coyotes Urbanos
- Guidelines For Coexistence
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Killed By Rat Poison – Flyer
- Sign in CHINESE: 土狼警讯
- Sign in SPANISH: ALERTA COYOTE
- Sign: Coyote Advisory
- Simple Rules for Coexistence
- This is a denning site
- Trilingual Video Poster
- Truth About Coyote Conflicts
- 共存简要守则 – Guidelines in Chinese
Published Articles & Recap
- A View Transformed: from fear to understanding
- Bay Nature Connections Interview
- Bay Nature: Raising Kids In The City
- Beware of the Alpha, by Molly Hetherwick
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Coyote Behavior & Peaceful Coexistence
- Coyote Town: Leave SF's Coyotes Alone, by Julia Wong
- Coyote Whisperer Warns of Coyote Encounters During Pupping Season
- Coyotes: Beyond The Howl
- EXHIBIT: Coyotes, Beyond the Howl
- Family First: Wily Coyote's Here to Stay, by Linnea Due
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- How to get Along With Coyotes As Pups Venture Out, Bay Nature
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Inside A Coyote Family
- Janet Kessler: The Urban Coyote Watcher, by Leath Tonino
- Keep Our Coyotes Safe & Wild
- Making Peace With Coyotes by Tripp Robbins
- On First-Name Basis With San Francisco Coyotes
- Pacifica: Neighbors in the Night
- Photographer's Raccoon Adventure in GGPark
- Recap: My Position Regarding Coyotes
- Reservoir Coyotes, by Tom Molanphy
- San Francisco Residents Coexisting With Coyotes, by Robin Hindery
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SF's "Coyote Lady", SacBee
- Sharing Bernal Hill With Our Coyote: A User's Guide
- The Bernal Hill Coyote is a Female and Human "Kindness" Could Kill Her
- The Coyote Whisperer, by Shelby Carpenter
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Need for Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The SF resident documenting coyote population
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives (PDF version)
- Wildlife In Focus: Coyotes
- YIPS & HOWLS EXAMPLES
TRANSLATION
Web Advocacy and More
- Anticoagulant Intoxication Fact Sheet
- Aversion Conditioning by Lesley Sampson
- Beware of the Alpha (PDF), by Molly Heatherwick, 3/15/2023
- Beware of the Alpha, by Molly Hetherwick
- Caught On Camera: Presidio Coyotes
- Citizen Coyote: Let's Get To Know Them: An Introduction
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project
- Coyote Lives In Maine
- Coyote Photos by Charles Wood
- Coyote Settles the South by John Lane
- Coyote Tracker
- Coyote Watch Canada
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE FACEBOOK
- CoyoteCoexistence Facebook (alternative link)
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE.COM
- Coyotes As Neighbors: Video
- Coyotes, wolves, cougars. . forever
- Coyoteyipps INSTAGRAM
- Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- History of San Francisco's Native Plant Program, NAP
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control
- Mapping Expansion of Coyotes Across the American Continent
- Melanie Furr: America vs. the Coyote
- Micromanagement of Nature Benefits Few Animals
- NapRap
- Rat Poisons Are Harmful
- Save Mount Sutro Forest
- Saving Trees In The Bay Area
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SFForest.Net
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- This is a denning site
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives
- URBANWILDNESS.COM
- Wild Dog Foundation
- WildCare: Live Well With Wildlife
- Wildlife Services: License to Kill
Published Articles & Recap
- A View Transformed: from fear to understanding
- Bay Nature Connections Interview
- Bay Nature: Raising Kids In The City
- Beware of the Alpha, by Molly Hetherwick
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Coyote Behavior & Peaceful Coexistence
- Coyote Town: Leave SF's Coyotes Alone, by Julia Wong
- Coyote Whisperer Warns of Coyote Encounters During Pupping Season
- Coyotes: Beyond The Howl
- EXHIBIT: Coyotes, Beyond the Howl
- Family First: Wily Coyote's Here to Stay, by Linnea Due
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- How to get Along With Coyotes As Pups Venture Out, Bay Nature
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Inside A Coyote Family
- Janet Kessler: The Urban Coyote Watcher, by Leath Tonino
- Keep Our Coyotes Safe & Wild
- Making Peace With Coyotes by Tripp Robbins
- On First-Name Basis With San Francisco Coyotes
- Pacifica: Neighbors in the Night
- Photographer's Raccoon Adventure in GGPark
- Recap: My Position Regarding Coyotes
- Reservoir Coyotes, by Tom Molanphy
- San Francisco Residents Coexisting With Coyotes, by Robin Hindery
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SF's "Coyote Lady", SacBee
- Sharing Bernal Hill With Our Coyote: A User's Guide
- The Bernal Hill Coyote is a Female and Human "Kindness" Could Kill Her
- The Coyote Whisperer, by Shelby Carpenter
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Need for Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The SF resident documenting coyote population
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives (PDF version)
- Wildlife In Focus: Coyotes
- YIPS & HOWLS EXAMPLES
Download & Print Flyers
- Como espantar a un coyote para que se vaya
- Conflictos con coyotes
- Coyote Advisory from our video
- Coyote Coexistence & Dogs
- Coyote Facts & Fiction
- Coyotes Playing With Dogs
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- Farms and Ranches: the Futility of Killing Coyotes as a Management Tool
- Guía Para Coexistir Con Coyotes Urbanos
- Guidelines For Coexistence
- How To Handle A Coyote Encounter: A Primer
- Killed By Rat Poison – Flyer
- Sign in CHINESE: 土狼警讯
- Sign in SPANISH: ALERTA COYOTE
- Sign: Coyote Advisory
- Simple Rules for Coexistence
- This is a denning site
- Trilingual Video Poster
- Truth About Coyote Conflicts
- 共存简要守则 – Guidelines in Chinese
Web Advocacy and More
- Anticoagulant Intoxication Fact Sheet
- Aversion Conditioning by Lesley Sampson
- Beware of the Alpha (PDF), by Molly Heatherwick, 3/15/2023
- Beware of the Alpha, by Molly Hetherwick
- Caught On Camera: Presidio Coyotes
- Citizen Coyote: Let's Get To Know Them: An Introduction
- Ciudadanos Coyotes: Vamos a conocerlos: Una introducción
- Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project
- Coyote Lives In Maine
- Coyote Photos by Charles Wood
- Coyote Settles the South by John Lane
- Coyote Tracker
- Coyote Watch Canada
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE FACEBOOK
- CoyoteCoexistence Facebook (alternative link)
- COYOTECOEXISTENCE.COM
- Coyotes As Neighbors: Video
- Coyotes, wolves, cougars. . forever
- Coyoteyipps INSTAGRAM
- Eastern Coyote/Coywolf Research
- FACTS MATTER, #resist (STOP TRAPPING)
- History of San Francisco's Native Plant Program, NAP
- How To Coexist With Wild Coyotes — From SF's Own 'Coyote Whisperer'
- International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control
- Mapping Expansion of Coyotes Across the American Continent
- Melanie Furr: America vs. the Coyote
- Micromanagement of Nature Benefits Few Animals
- NapRap
- Rat Poisons Are Harmful
- Save Mount Sutro Forest
- Saving Trees In The Bay Area
- SF Coyotes PODCAST 2/2020
- SFForest.Net
- The Need For Wildness, by Tara Lohan
- The Woman Who Follows Urban Coyotes
- This is a denning site
- Urban Coyotes Have Lives
- URBANWILDNESS.COM
- Wild Dog Foundation
- WildCare: Live Well With Wildlife
- Wildlife Services: License to Kill
TRANSLATION
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Coyote Yipps 
Dec 30, 2010 @ 22:59:43
Fun!!!