New female!
Today, a new, never-before-seen coyote ventured into the territory of one of the coyote families I observe. It was a young female. I don’t know if she had attempted sneaking past the young male, or if she passed him on purpose, hoping that he would notice her, risking that she might be driven out viciously. True to form, the unattached young male resident coyote eyed her and then pursued her for some time over a long distance.
Back and forth they went at a feisty, excited and fast clip. Somehow, I don’t think this was about a resident coyote trying to drive away an intruder. When the young female lost track of the male, she appeared to look around for him, and he for her.
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- new female dashes away
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- pell-mell, at a gallop
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- lickety-split — off she runs
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- When young male closes the gap between himself and the new coyote, she begins running with a cat-like arched back, lips pulled back and tail tucked under
Is this young female — an outsider and an intruder — exploring this and other territories in search of a mate? If so, will she be competition for the unattached young resident female who grew up in the territory and has been the sole female in the territory for over a year? It’s that time of year when new pair-bonds are formed. New territories which have not been claimed, and territories which have been vacated, will be staked out and claimed by the new coyote pairs.
Later on, I catch Dad walloping the young male
Not too long after watching this chase, I caught Dad walloping this very same young male in the distance. Hmmm. We have to keep in mind that this territory belongs to Dad and that, as far as I know, there will be only one breeding pair in the area, and that breeding pair will most likely include Dad.
Coyote Yipps 
