Ms. Coyote

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The other morning I drove over to Sweetwater Wetlands just at sunrise.  I hadn’t been there for a few weeks and I was unsure what opportunities for photography would be present.  Just as I arrived I saw three familiar shapes gliding through the wetlands’ auxiliary parking lot.  They were Coyotes.  There was a very large individual accompanied by two smaller ones.  The big Coyote and one of its companions melted into the brush the instant that I saw them.  The third animal lingered, watching me curiously.  I had about 30 seconds to observe her from the interior of  my car before she finally disappeared to join her companions.

She was a female, in great physical condition, and from her appearance, rather young.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she is the offspring of her two companions.  Young Coyotes may stay with their parents for up to a year or so after birth, forming a pack that gradually falls apart as the youngsters find mates and move on.

This is not my first encounter with a curious Coyote.  These animals usually avoid contact with humans, but every once in a while, I’ll encounter a curious one. I’m always struck, first, by how intelligent these animals appear to be.

I’m also struck by their gracefulness.  Coyotes have very long legs in proportion to their bodies, longer, I think, than those of most domesticated dogs.  This one was typical in that respect.  She’s not carrying an ounce of body fat and she looks built for speed.  I’ve seen Coyotes in a full run on a few occasions and they are almost unbelievably fast.  In the cartoons the Roadrunner always outruns the Coyote.  I’m not certain that this is necessarily the case in real life.  These animals can run down an awful lot of prey.

Images made with a Canon 5Diii, 400 DO, aperture priority setting, ISO 1200, f6.3 @ 1/2000.