"Come here, look at this," urged my husband. It was bitterly cold Saturday when I rushed to his side at the patio door. "Is that somebody's dog ... or is that a coyote?" I confirmed that it was, in fact, a coyote. Despite coyotes making their home in the nearby forest preserve, I hadn't seen one near my house in a long time. What made this sighting even more remarkable was that it was during the day and the coyote wasn't just passing through. Instead, we watched a small drama unfold.
The coyote circled the frozen pond on the neighboring common area,
then approached the drainage pipe.
After investigating the interior,
the disappointed coyote gave up and left around the other side of the pond.
I suspect that this coyote ventured this far into the neighborhood because the cold was keeping everyone inside. Coyotes generally stay away from people. Coyotes have adapted to suburban and urban environments, and have even been spotted on the streets of Chicago. Coyotes have spread across the country eastward, filling the niche created by the extermination of wolves. Most of the time, coyotes co-exist well with people, especially if people take reasonable precautions, such as not leaving food outside and supervising young children and small pets, even in a fenced yard. However, when coyotes become accustomed to people, they can become aggressive and even attack small dogs on leashes. It is only when they lose their fear of humans that they become a problem and need to be trapped and killed.
Fortunately, I don't have small pets or small children, so I welcome the presence of coyotes. They eat rabbits, voles, squirrels and even deer. Sadly, the Squirrelhaven squirrels were conspicuous by their absence on Saturday, and the coyote had to search elsewhere for its meal.
11 comments:
Interesting. Maybe the squirrels were absent because the coyote already ate them? Nah, we couldn't be so lucky!
Maybe there was a squirrel in that drainage pipe. ?? Interesting sighting at your home.
So close. Maybe there were no squirrels present, smelling fear on four feet. Soon Squirrelhaven may have to be renamed Coyote Barren. H.
Great photos...kind of cool. They live all around here but I've never seen one in the day time.
There have been reports of coyote sightings in the general area, but not close enough to worry me.
Keep the small pets indoors and don't leave out scraps of food/dogfood. The coyotes here just stroll around. Daytime or nighttime. And get bolder by the day. Nice photos!
Wow, we get them too running down my alley. I do have a small dog so am always concerned about them getting into the yard through the rungs in the gates.
Eileen
Excellent photos. They're in my garden but, I've not seen them there~just paw prints and scat. They are usually not out and about after the sun rises or before it sets. gail
I think you squirrel problems will be over soon if this big guy stays around. The good with the bad though. Nice shots.
Carol - definitely not. These squirrels are too clever.
Lisa - there must have been something over there, but probably not a squirrel.
Leslie - Our not seeing them is a testament to their ability to co-exist with us. For the most part, anyway.
Cindy - I'll bet you keep a close eye on your little dog anyway.
Mary Ann - good advice. Their increasing boldness is a cause for concern.
Eileen - coyotes can jump pretty high too, so you are wise to be concerned.
Gail - while the scat is unpleasant, at least they're trying to keep your chipmunk population down.
Layanee - thanks. I'm one of those people who like coyotes. They may not be as cute as foxes, but they're still pretty cool.
You are right, coyotes are very illusive around people and are rarely seen. At the farm this weekend there was one just a few hundred yards away hiding in the brush during the late morning hours, with all the Christmas Tree customer's walking nearby! It held its ground stalking the children I think. It was a frightful morning to say the least since the owner did not want to shoot it in front of the hundreds of people. They determined it may have been rabid due to the unusual behavior. Finally, it moved on, but I can tell you I was not walking the fields the last few days by myself. I rode the four wheeler each time I went out. You got some great shots of the coyote. I wanted to photograph it too, but the owner would not let me in the vicinity of it, fearing it may be rabid which means it might have attacked.
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