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!
12 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, hunting Tags: coyote behavior
There was no way this coyote was going to catch that rascal chattering at him from high in the tree where he stood in the only spot of sunshine — next best option: dibs it by marking the location!!
12 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in communication, coyote barking, coyote behavior, coyote reactions to dogs
Today, from a distance in the park, I heard joyful coyote greetings and howling in response to fire engine sirens, a not unusual occurrence in urban areas. However, by the time I got to the scene, the howling and high-pitched squeals of delight had turned into a low-key distressed barking session due to the appearance of one of the few hostile dogs & walkers who could be seen about 500 feet away. The coyotes kept looking in that direction. The hostility of this particular pair comes from the unleashed dog continually chasing coyotes, and the owner who, even at large distances, throws stones at them.
The barking stopped when the walker and dog, still in the distance, disappeared behind some trees onto another path. The coyotes relaxed and waited: they knew the normal route of this walker and dog would be in their direction. When the walker could be heard imminently approaching, both coyotes silently slithered further away and up a cliff to behind a brushy area where they were partially hidden and less likely to be seen. After the walkers had passed on by, and after a few more walkers passed by, the coyotes, which had not been detected by any of them, slowly moved off and disappeared from view — they had waited there, watching and on alert, until all danger had passed.
While the coyotes had been relaxing before this dog and walker got close, another walker without a dog came by — she was thrilled to see the two resting coyotes. She told me that if I had not been there to point them out, she would have missed them because of their camouflage. The coyotes allowed us to admire them. Coyotes are very aware of individuals and dogs who frequent the park — they know what to expect from each individual dog and person and they act accordingly. Today these coyotes protectively increased the distance and hid themselves from a hostile dog and walker. If an antagonistic dog is not on a leash close to its owner, an alpha coyote could take the opportunity to repay previous antagonistic behavior towards itself, rushing close to the dog with a warning display. It is best to grab your dog and move on. Alpha coyotes have been known to nip the rears of dogs to make their message more forceful. Please beware that these are messages — it is the only method a coyote has of telling your dog not to get close or come after it.
11 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, coyote living areas, ears, urban coyote ailments
Saturday my leashed dog Holtz and I revisited my Los Angeles area coyotes’ field, taking a shortcut back to the car. Mom showed herself for a few moments and then crept back into the brush. There were also teenagers in the field playing with their assault air rifles. Although my path and theirs didn’t cross I would have liked to hear if they had coyote stories of their own to tell me. As Holtz and I left, the kids were cavorting and shooting their air rifles blindly into the brush, putting an end to my bird and coyote watching. There were many ears and eyes following those kids, all on the move away from them. If the kids decided to actually hunt they would have had trouble finding anything to shoot. Like Holtz, they lack stealth.
Earlier in the week I showed a photo of Mom to my veterinarian who confirmed Mom’s ear was infected or had mites, was a source of discomfort, and would eventually develop into cauliflower ear. Another concern is that this year, the brush in their field is being cut more frequently. In early December the brush was recovering from its earlier mowing, yet in mid-December the brush was mowed yet again. Last June, most of the field was a diverse puppy training ground and a small yet thriving ecosystem. That messy and dull looking area is quite different from both the neighboring golf course and public park. The golf course and park seem as deserts when compared to dull brush. Fortunately we also have a protected 100 acre nature center area that supports an assortment of living things providing each for the other, coyotes and hawks included.
I wonder what, if anything, could or should be done for Mom’s ear. I’ve learned from Janet’s blog that removing a coyote from its environ for treatment is a significant disruption of the group. Her two youngsters, neither yet a year old, still depend on her maturity and skills. Another consideration is that she is or will soon be in season. Holtz has had otitis caught early and the treatment was to irrigate his ears with Betadine followed by daily applications of ointment to his ear canal with oral antibiotics twice a day over a two week period. With Mom, she probably has damage to or a collapse of the ear canal and a cursory web search of the topic suggests treatment at this stage is more complex with no certainty of a successful outcome. Even were resources available to provide treatment, intervening might do more harm than good.
I don’t like that answer. Mom has grown to dislike me just as much as I have grown to love her. I do feel her jobs are of more concern to her than is the discomfort from her ear.
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.
08 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, curiosity, hunting, playing Tags: coyote behavior
“Something must be hiding in here which might be good to eat or fun to play with.” The stump was explored, but nothing of interest was found.
08 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, coyotes and dogs Tags: coyote behavior, coyote territoriality
An alpha coyote was out doing her job: keeping an eye on the territory, casually watching dogs and walkers from in the far distance. Coyotes become particularly aware of dogs whose energy and awareness might indicate that they could be a threat to themselves. This coyote is especially aware of dogs which have been antagonistic. She has become acutely aware of the barks, paths and even owner voices associated with these dogs. She watches to assure herself that these dogs remain just “visitors” who will leave the park.
Today, when most of the “regular” dogs and walkers had already come and gone, the little coyote stretched big and yawned wide before trotting off to leave the area. And then we heard the loud braying voice of one of the regular walkers yelling at her dog in her usual manner. It was a woman who has shown lots of antagonism towards the coyotes, and whose dog chases the coyotes regularly.The minute we heard that voice from far in the distance, we saw this coyote stop dead in its tracks, turn around and dash right back to its previous lookout where it stood with its eyes glued to this woman and her dog. The coyote watched them until they left for good for the day — about 20 minutes. When they were finally gone, the coyote stretched and yawned again before slowly wandering off.
08 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in communication, coyote behavior, smell Tags: coyote behavior
This coyote was hidden from view by some low lying bushes as dogs walked by on a path close by. The coyote sat perfectly still, so as not to be detected, except that he strained his neck and head up and out, and even closed his eyes to better whiff those passing by. Smells may relay much more than simply “who” individual dogs and people are, such as moods and various states of arousal, all of which produce their own sets of pheromones which the coyotes can smell and read from a distance in space and time.
05 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, hierarchy Tags: coyote behavior, hierarchy
The more dominant of these two coyotes ran up to the other to intimidate him to bug off. It appears to be a compulsive behavior. He has always been successful in his bullying toward this fellow, but notice that, although the intimidated fellow runs off, he does not depart far or for long. Is he building a tolerance for the other’s behavior, treating it as just a minor inconvenience by letting it happen and then sidestepping it? He’s not quite standing his ground and being his own man but neither is he avoiding this dominating fellow — he has no fear of consistently, although carefully, approaching the dominant fellow when his curiosity is raised.
05 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions, hierarchy Tags: coyote submissive behavior
The same fellow who extracted deference from his sibling, here pays deference to his Mom. Notice that he comes in with his head lower and tries kissing her from below. They probably made eye contact when they first met, but after that she does not look at him at all. Rather, her attention is riveted in the distance where her other year old pup is hanging out. She looks over again at this pup only briefly as he heads away and then returns her attention to the distant fellow. The respect and love here is deeply felt. It is both easily and freely given. There are no demands made by Mom.
05 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions Tags: coyote dominance behavior
This fellow watches as his sibling approaches with a dominance display: tail up, standing high, ears up, head up — taller than the other fellow. The other fellow remains lower and with his ears back before running off in an almost slinking manner: low posture, head down, ears back, tail down. Although there is definitely a hierarchy here, it is not the easy hierarchy that we see between the mother coyotes and her offspring. This one is a contentious one that may still be working itself out.
03 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, coyotes and dogs Tags: coyote behavior
Coyotes are fascinated by dogs. But watching isn’t all about entertainment. Coyotes are aware of every single dog that regularly passes through their territory. By watching them, coyotes get a good sense of which dogs might be dangerous to them. In addition to the several unleashed dogs which regularly have chased them, coyotes are aware of which dogs eye them antagonistically and of those leashed dogs that lunge towards them, conveying that they would like to give chase. As dogs and walkers get closer, coyotes will flee. I’ve noticed that the distance when coyotes will start to flee is related to how antagonistic the dog and owner have shown themselves to be in the past, as well as if the dog is an “unknown.”
03 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote physical appearance, coyote's coat Tags: coyote appearance
By raincoat, in this instance, I mean a coat that has been impacted by the heavy rains. This coat isn’t wet, but the top appears to be much darker in color than usual, and it is matted down in a way that makes it look like one of those doggie raincoats that many owners buy for their pets!
01 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, coyote living areas, exploring Tags: coyote behavior
Sometimes coyotes venture out of the parks and into surrounding neighborhoods. They don’t stay long. If you see them, they seem to know exactly what they are doing and where they are going — there is purpose in their movements. Interestingly, most humans don’t even see them. This one returned quickly to the unpaved park area.
01 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in avoiding humans, coyote behavior, coyote reactions to dogs Tags: coyote behavior
This little coyote watched intently as a group of walkers with their leashed dog got closer and closer. When the coyote decided they were too close, off he darted, looking back to make sure they were not on his tail. They, in fact, had turned down another path.
01 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in coyote behavior, family interactions Tags: coyote behavior
It was early and so the lighting was bad and, therefore, so were my photos. However, when I got home and examined the photos, I could see that this coyote had a wound on his rump. That this coyote is at the bottom of his family’s hierarchal structure tells me something — sibling rivalry put him there this fall. That he is regularly bullied by his older sibling who drives him away, tells me more. That coyotes nip or bite dogs on the rump — as their strongest warning messages to dogs, to let dogs know both who is boss and to get them to move on — tells me all the rest.
More than likely, this coyote has been bitten by his more dominant sibling to tell him to move on. Maybe the dispute was only about immediate proximity, or a piece of food. But maybe it was about ownership and use of the larger territory that they both share. The bitten coyote has been a loner for a while. The dominant sibling and mother are almost always together and may even be becoming a “pair.” The lone coyote, in being driven away by the brother, is thus also kept distant from the mother. The alpha mother coyote is still at the top of the family pack, but she may have no say in how those below her work out their own hierarchy.
