"LAZING ON A SUNNY AFTERNOON"

Coyote (4 Photos)

I was fortunate to catch this gorgeous coyote sunning itself in the afternoon, all decked out in its winter finery. (Photo #1). It must have had a great morning of successful hunting. 

Perhaps, I have been lucky in that in all the encounters with coyotes, (touch wood), I have never experienced either an aggressive animal or a large pack.

Usually, I can't bring the camera up and focus in time before they disappear.

In fact, on many occasions I have seen coyotes not more than 100 metres away from a bike path where individuals with small children, dogs, etc. have been walking. The coyotes have been more interested in their hunting pursuits, usually voles. On one sighting, I watched a coyote catch 5 voles in 20 minutes. The coyote definitely was aware of the human population but the people totally oblivious to a hunting coyote in the meadow not far away. Now if I was a homeowner plagued by those voles in the garden, this is the "exterminator" you want out there patrolling.

The three photos below have appeared in a previous blog a couple of winters ago. However, they document the hunting technique of the coyote, which like the fox, is a "Listen, Jump  and Dive" method to reaching rodents underneath the snow. (These photos were taken from a safe and discreet location where I could photograph the coyote without any interference.)

PHOTO #2

Coyote"SHH - COYOTE AT WORK"

PHOTO #3

Coyote"LEAP OF FAITH"

PHOTO #4

Coyote"SLAM DUNK"