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!
About My Site and Me: This website reflects my 15 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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Coyote Behavior Photo Display at Randall Museum ran from February 2019 to Fall of 2021
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
Here is a one-year-old brother babysitting his younger coyote siblings. It's a responsibility and task engaged in by all full-grown family members, including Mom, Dad, and yearlings born the previous year. In this case, older bro snoozed by a log as the youngsters explored and interacted. Occasionally older bro seemed to watch them for entertainment, and then he would close his eyes again. I've seen other *babysitters* engage enthusiastically with their pup charges, racing around with them, playing tag and tug-of-war, and generally wearing them out. Not this guy.
“I see you have a new tooth!” Actually, gaping and showing your teeth — in this case, baby teeth — is a way of telling your buddy to buzz off. It’s either innate, or it comes from watching his parents and older siblings communicate with him in this exact same way - which they do frquently: “Outta my face, buster!” #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
This fella is no different from all the rest if us commuting to work: there is always purposefulness in everything coyotes do, and they are always doing something. This is a young male who knows exactly where he’s going and why he’s going there: you can see this in his decisive stride. By watching long enough (when they let you) and over extended periods of time, you can figure it out. This guy is returning to guard his younger siblings after trekking off to his water source a little bit earlier. He’s got to get back because he’s in charge right now. In other words, he’s following his plan; he’s not just hanging around listlessly. The early morning sun brought out the colors of his amazing newly growing coat. His winter coat is all gone now. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Lean and solid. You can see this fella’s hip-bones and spine right through his skin. At this time of year, coyotes are particularly skinny-looking: they’ve just finished shedding their three-inch fluffy winter coats which normally hide their smallness, and also they’ve been regurgitating food for their youngsters, which limits the amount of food nourishing themselves. I’ve seen coyotes who look positively skeletal at this time of year. That will all change as the pups start hunting more and more for themselves now. The coyote in this foto is often mistaken for a youngster because of his reduced size. In fact, he’s the 7 year old, alpha father of his family. In this photo, he’s following the scent down the length of a street at dawn. And yes, he came back with prey. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Well, the photo might be a bad one, but I hope what the photo conveys is clear. This coyote is being harassed by someone’s drone which hovered immediately over him and buzzed him. I only noticed it when I saw the coyote repeatedly leap for the drone and duck from it. I found the people flying the drone and (angrily) asked them to please stop, couldn’t they see they were agitating the animal? I said they didn’t need to know anything about animal behavior to know this, they simply needed to use their common sense. They immediately apologized and stopped — they knew exactly what they were doing — they wanted their pictures. :( #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Here's another shot of the same coyote, just to show the sheer size of that rat, with a mouthful of nasturtiums that were in the way. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
RATS! This must be the biggest rat I've ever seen: it looks to be over two pounds. This young male found a nest of them and dove in, with the ravens croaking at him from overhead. He hit the jackpot, and within a few seconds his hunting companion mother was diving in after them, too. I saw them consume at least five smaller rats before this huge one was caught, along with a mouthful of nasturtiums. It was a hunting and feeding frenzy for the two coyotes. I guess they had their fill, because this last large one was not eaten. It was carried off about 30 feet away and buried for future consumption. Did you know that San Francisco was named among the top-five US cities for rat infestations? We have Norway rats, which is what this one is, and roof rats which are smaller. Norway rats, they say, reach 10" in length. This one appeared bigger than that. #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
"The better to hear you", the story goes. This is one of our four-year-old dads here in San Francisco — and a first-time dad at that!
Dogs began barking -- they were barking at me. I was passing through a dog park without a dog, and the dogs weren't sure this was legit! The barking was a warning that something was amiss and it also drew their owners' attention. The barking also drew the attention of the two resident coyotes who had apparently settled in for the daylight hours. They each must have gotten up to see what was going on. At that point, the ravens noticed them and started croaking (i.e., barking in their own way) which was a warning to the coyotes and drew the attention of other wild critters in the area -- including me! I followed the sound. Each of two coyotes was hanging out about 100 feet apart and had a raven screaming at it. This one here — she was beautifully camouflaged by the web of shadows cast by the tree branches — is keeping her eyes on the screaming raven to her right. The coyotes and I were the quiet ones this time! :) #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
This strapping male is in his prime. He’s the second (beta) adult male on his territory and may be sticking around for various reasons, among them that the alpha male is aging and, for security reasons has allowed this fella to stay and help project the territory and new pups. The other reason I can think of is that very likely he’s a son of the alpha female, and therefore an accepted family member: at this point I don’t know this, but my DNA study at UC Davis will either confirm or dispel it.
This 7-year-old third-time-mom and her mate left their old territory and the youngsters born last year on it, and moved last November to a new territory 1.6 miles away where they are raising their new litter born this year. Almost all territorial coyote pairs that I've observed tend to stick to one territory, but I've seen a couple of mature adults who owned territories make a move as far away as 5 miles from an old territory. More than likely a vacancy occurred -- probably the previous alpha was killed by a car (ACC reported picking up a DOA coyote there at the end of last year) -- and our 7-year-old and her mate moved in, and it was very likely a *move up* for her: the territory is less fragmented and there are many more hiding places from dogs, AND there are fewer dogs than in her previous territory! She and her mate and the one youngster that went with them still return regularly to their old territory, but only in the dead of night, and only quickly passing through. I suppose she still feels an attachment to that land because it is a territory she had battled for, and that's where her older youngsters are now: I've wondered, in fact, if she purposefully ceded them the land? Food for thought! #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Here’s a dead giveaway where this coyote was born and dispersed from! These are scar lesions from ear-tags that became dislodged. The only local entity ear-tagging and radio-collaring coyotes over the last several years has been the Presidio. I’m opposed to the use of these gadgets — the right ear you can see was torn. I hope it wasn’t painful. The collar would have been released after a year and fallen off. So, the Presidio is where this mother coyote was born and dispersed from. We’ll verify with DNA from scat I’ve collected which I observed came from her. It’s part of my population and dispersal study being verified by UC Davis. The ear tag lesions serve as an additional clue and further confirmation of where she was born. The DNA, and clues as this one, allow me to map dispersals where I haven’t been able to keep track of them visually (I can distinguish them visually). And if perchance DNA proves she’s not from the Presidio, we’ll have a whole new set of issues to investigate. It’s all very exciting!! #coyotecoexistence #urbancoyote
Be A Coyote Ambassador!
INTRODUCTION PAGES
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
- 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
- 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 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
- 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
- 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
- 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 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
- 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
- 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
- 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 
Jan 01, 2016 @ 01:44:42
best to you as well and continued excellent songdog reporting
Sent from my iPad
>
Jan 15, 2016 @ 10:40:15
These pictures are wonderful! Wishing CoyoteYipps and all the coyote families in San Francisco a great 2016.
Jan 15, 2016 @ 18:28:42
Thank you, SF Forest Alliance! And let’s hope it’s a good year for saving trees and forests in San Francisco and beyond! Janet