"BRIGHT LIGHT, BIG POND"

Coyote - 3 Photos

Chilling out watching ducks & geese doing their waterfowl thing, mid morning. And then early afternoon, now left with an empty pond, I decided to move onto another venue hoping for some more photographic action. 

Packed up my equipment, trekked up the incline, rounded the corner and took one last look back at the pond. And there directly next to the water, was a coyote just looking out of the willows. I'm talking "big" coyote. At first glance, I had a throw back to a photo I'd seen of a white wolf standing at the edge of the water on Vancouver Island, B.C. 

I knew this was a coyote but in the bright light of early afternoon, he almost appeared ghost like. And that was my next thought, "Where the heck did you come from. I've been sitting there for hours (and hidden away from view) and now you suddenly turn up?"

But this is most likely the patriarch of this particular coyote family, distinguishable by his size and that gorgeous ruff which is almost mane like. Those genes have been passed on to a least one offspring, Scarf, hence her name.

He may look a little unkempt with his thick coat but it's probably the transition from Winter to Spring attire. 

And with his mate probably now at home with puppies, he was out looking for a substantial meal to take home. This area not only has waterfowl, but pheasant, rabbits & rodents (and fish, too, if you are like Mini Coyote, another offspring who took to fishing in the shallows for carp). 

And just as reminder to dog walkers who like to let their dogs off lead (particularly in these mandatory on lead areas) and who think coyotes only hunt from dusk to dawn, the photos that follow were taken on a clear blue sky day at 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. At this time of the year, the adult females who have had puppies, are for the time being, at their dens, nursing. Their partners & other family members are out hunting even more intensely all times of the day for themselves, as well as to bring back food to the den while mothers are unable to leave.

This coyote checked out the pond and like me came to the same conclusion, "Nothing to be seen here", turned slowly around and headed back into the willows and literally disappeared.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3