This is a follow-up to the blog of July 30th, 2024, "Song Dog Days of Summer".
According to some research, by the end of the summer, coyote pups are spending some time away from parents & attempting to hunt on their own or with siblings. This youngster appeared solo through the tall grass into a clearing, first trying a hand/paw at rodent catch. And like his older sibling by a year, he found the sweet spot, retrieving & eating multiple catches in several spots. That blackish object in the coyote's mouth (Photo #1) is a vole. I assume he found at least a couple of nests where voles/mice were living.
And then it was across the stream to another larger meadow to check out what might be available there.
And for this coyote, he must have thought he hit the jackpot. Oh, would his parents be impressed and his siblings too (Photo #4)!
When I saw the beaver exit the tall grass, my first reaction was what on earth was the beaver doing a fair distance away from an escape route, i.e. water. There are so many other places closer to the pond & stream where food and building material are easily available but then again I'm not party to a beaver's thoughts. Perhaps, this was a case of a fully grown beaver but not so worldly as his/her parents.
And then you add in the naivety and curiosity of a young coyote. His interest was certainly peaked and having flushed the beaver out of the grasses, he followed his potential prey to the stream (Photo #5) where the beaver quickly made his/her exit into the pond and back to the safety of the lodge. As Photo #6 shows, the coyote was in very close proximity to the beaver. Other than a beaver tail slap, it was probably the right end to be. However, hopefully this youngster won't attempt a similar approach when uncovering a porcupine.
So back to smaller targets and having travelled down to the pond's shoreline, again there were multiple mice/voles to be had. Photo #7 shows the tail & legs of what I assume to be a vole hanging outside of the coyote's mouth.
So although young in age & experience, successful hunting skills are already apparent in one of the newest additions to this coyote family. Coyotes learn very quickly. It's a matter of survival. This youngster probably won't be trying another beaver solo. The lesson, however, was most likely extremely valuable.
PHOTO #1
PHOTO #2 - No worries - just a young coyote chomping down on a vole. It's amazing how one shot can give the wrong impression of what actually took place.
PHOTO #3
PHOTO #4
PHOTO #5
PHOTO #6
PHOTO #7