I live a 10 minute walk from the north end of Mill Creek Ravine Park, so when I need some urban forest trails, that is where I usually go. Occasionally, I see a lone coyote and sometimes I see a pair. Coyotes here are not fond of human gazes. When they see me, and I see them, they watch me warily. Then they walk away a little, stop and glance back. They do this once or a few times, and then they disappear.
A friend, who is also a regular visitor of the park, showed me the resident coyotes’ den last summer. He toldΒ me the coyote pair had 6 little ones last spring.
Last week, on March 4th, a Bohemian waxwing tail feather on the side of a trail caught my attention. I picked it up, and for a short while, I stood still to examine it. When I looked into the woods to my left, two coyote eyes were watching me. I’m glad I stopped for that feather!
I got my camera ready and waited for that itsy-bitsy moment when the coyote would walk through a clearing in the thicket . Between glances at me, it was sniffing the snow, trying to smell its next meal, I think.
Usually coyotes disappear through the woods. But this one popped out of the woods and onto the trail before trotting away. Maybe it was because the snow in the forest that day was deep and soft, and the coyote could move faster along the trail.
I wonder which generation of Mill Creek Ravine coyotes it belongs to…
It looks healthy and good sized. You walked with Coyote spirit that day.
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It’s always a treat to see a healthy coyote. Their fur is so beautiful! π
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It is always a treat to get to see a coyote. It is not surprising that they are wary of us, considering what they have suffered at our hand. πͺ
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Glad you like coyotes too :-). I think you’re right; wild animals do behave differently toward people depending on their past experiences. Learning is handy!
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Thank you for these photographs! One evening last week I heard from within the house the sound of what sounded like a child screaming, which was very unsettling, only to then be followed by two or three distinct ‘yips’, signalling a nearby coyote. So I headed to the upper deck and saw it on our back mountain ridge, blending so well with the brown/beige terrain. They are half-noble/half-creepy the way they slink about. I’ve seen one at about 5 am trotting down neighbourhood streets, looking right and left, trying to spot someone’s cat or dog. Personally, I wouldn’t really want to be as close to one of them as you were, but I’m glad you were or I wouldn’t have these pictures!
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Wonderful photos…and what a gift of a feather! (K)
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Thanks, Kerfe. I like how you say it, a gift of a feather! π
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I would have freaked if a coyote was watching me with no barrier between us. Great photos of this beautiful animal, though!
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I haven’t had a reason to worry about my safety around coyotes yet. I’ve encountered quite a few and they’ve always walked away from me. People who walk their dogs off leash, especially small ones, worry quite a bit about coyotes though. Some of them make quite the racket to make sure a nearby coyote walks away. Thanks for enjoying the photos. π
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I would have been pleased enough with the waxwing feather….but the opportunity to photograph a coyote that close – nice! And it’s a very healthy looking individual. π
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Gorgeous. They look like wolves. So very, very beautiful.
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I’m always amazed by how beautiful they are (except for the unfortunate ones with mange). I’m glad you enjoy their beauty too! π
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They are all over Chicago and the suburbs…everywhere. They have moved in and I definitely think they are beautiful.
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