"ANOTHER TINY DANCER"

Coyote - 9 Photos

It was getting on towards sunset and from my location at the top of the slope, I had already seen three White-Tailed Deer enter the meadow below to graze on the new green grasses, who subsequently moved on. 

Then from the right came a flash of beige and he/she ran by at great speed, at times bouncing above the ground. 

But it wasn't another deer, but a small coyote who raced into the flat area of the meadow almost to the beaver dam, turned 180 degrees in one movement, stood still for a few seconds and then ran back from where she had come (Photo #1 through Photo #5). She definitely saw me above as she raced along (Photo #6, Photo #7 & Photo #8) but never altered her course, travelling along a grassy path before disappearing into the rolling area behind.

I say "she" because of her very small size and diminutive features. The coyote's appearance reminded me of a young, very small youngster that I had seen repeatedly in that same area in March/April 2025 but with a little more bulk. I named her "MC" for mini coyote and she was sometimes accompanied by her sister, Scarf. There would be no mistaking Scarf again, as her ruff around her small head was enormous. Hence, the name.

But MC, although short on stature, was huge on intelligence. Last Spring, I managed to capture her with the camera actually fishing and catching Prussian Carp in a semi-frozen creek. I've included a link below, to a blog I wrote last year which demonstrates her fishing prowess and a photo (Photo #9) of MC with one of her catches.

I don't know for certain if this recently spotted coyote was MC or another small youngster perhaps born April/May 2025. Her wariness could be explained by another year of experience. 

A few minutes passed, and then along the paved path which borders the meadow came another photographer, peering into the meadow & glancing down at her camera's screen, perhaps to see if she had managed to get a shot. Having not spotted anything, she walked on looking for other wildlife.

And then it occurred to me. I know this area is a popular hunting area for a particular family of coyotes and they use this corridor to traverse the park, going from wild to residential under cover. I believe this coyote was on her way to an "appointment" or a meeting up with other family members when she met up with the other photographer. Rather than proceed to her destination and potentially give away family locations, she ran down into cover where she would have disappeared from view. She then retraced her steps, having lost any human followers and resumed her plan of action.

I've seen this tactic used by the coyotes before, particularly if they are meeting up with a sibling or on their way back to a den. They lead danger away, double back and then go back to the original plan.

Whether or not this was MC, the way she covered the meadow, catching air as she travelled along, led me to give her the nickname, "Tiny Dancer". 

https://www.inaturephoto.com/blog/2026/4/-canid-fisherman---coyote

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9 (MC - Taken March 2025)