coyote

[asenathwaite]

This creature wandered through our backyard a few days ago. It was unimpressed by my efforts to photograph it.

Comments

[pameladean]

Now that is a withering expression! P.

[asenathwaite]

It does not appreciate these newfangled humans with their "houses" and "cameras" and "fences".

[redsixwing]

What a handsome coyote!

[asenathwaite]

Thank you! Or perhaps I should say, the coyote thanks you.

[silveradept]

Certainly unimpressed with the camera.

[asenathwaite]

Unimpressed is its aesthetic. Really it needs a beret and a cigarette.

[sasha_feather]

What a great photo! My grandpa used to say you tell a coyote because they'll look you right in the eye (and judge you).

[asenathwaite]

Thank you! Coyotes really are always Judging You.

[yourlibrarian]

Heh, there are a few icons that could be made with that expression ;D

[asenathwaite]

I may do that!

[sally_maria]

I don't think I've ever seen a photograph of a coyote before, certainly not one so close up - thank you for sharing it.

[asenathwaite]

I took the picture through my kitchen window; the coyote was maybe ten or fifteen feet away.

[rain_gryphon]

Looks rather cross.

[marycatelli]

Who is this character with a camera trying to photograph me?

[asenathwaite]

I think of it as Suburban Wildlife Resting Face.

[veritas_poet]

Oh, wow!I can't imagine a backyard where that would be a possibility!

[asenathwaite]

Coyotes are about as common as raccoons in my area, but they tend to be more secretive. This is the second one I've seen in my backyard in three years.

[veritas_poet]

Wow. Are they dangerous at all? (I'm a city person, what do I know?)

[asenathwaite]

They can be, especially to cats, small dogs, backyard chickens, and similarly sized creatures. The ones in my area very rarely attack people--but I still don't let my 5-year-old out by himself.

[veritas_poet]

Interesting, thank! I wish I lived in an area like that. I hate city life.

[cyprinella]

If you're on the east coast of the US, chances are pretty high they're in your city but really, really cryptic. They've been in my area (outside of Washington DC) for 20-30 years at this point but I never even heard them until the last couple of years.

[asenathwaite]

I hear them more often than I see them. They make very strange noises--it's like demonic shrieking and yowling in the dead of night.

[cyprinella]

Yeah, outside of the few months I had a trail cam up, I've actually seen coyotes twice. Definitely heard small packs more than that. I think the foxes when they're in heat are way creepier than the coyotes though. Coyotes sound more like dogs. Foxes sound like demon cat women screaming in rage.

[veritas_poet]

I'd be afraid if I saw one! The most wildlife (unless you want to count rats) I've seen in Chicago are raccoons and possums - both of which are cute, and MUCH BIGGER than I thought they'd be. That's what I get for only seeing critters on TV.

[asenathwaite]

Coyotes live in Chicago, even downtown, but they're nocturnal and very secretive. Here's an article from 2014 about them. I keep hearing that bobcats are going to be the next predator to colonize urban areas, but I've yet to see one.

[veritas_poet]

Thanks, that was interesting. I had no idea! I wouldn't mind seeing one. But... maybe from a distance.

[cyprinella]

Chicago is actually pretty famous for how sneaky and invisible their coyote population is! Lincoln Park Zoo has been doing a citizen science program for a few years now that has people count the animals collected by trail cam in various urban parks, cemeteries, etc, and coyotes are definitely there!

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Love the look on its face :)

[asenathwaite]

Thank you!