By Dan Weisz
It is not uncommon for any of us in the Foothills to see coyotes at any time of day or to hear them at night. Their nighttime howling is spectacular. Here is a link to a Desert Museum fact sheet to supplement the photos in this series:
Enjoy!
I saw a family of four coyotes at Sweetwater Wetlands this morning. They walked through three of the settling basins, perhaps looking for breakfast. The one in the front has a nice winter coat, but you can tell they are soaking wet. The fellow in the back appears a bit scrawnier, and the rain gave him a sorry-looking tail.
Up over the first berm.
And old skinny-tail tags along.
He really does not seem to be enjoying my attention. He’s wet, probably cold, probably hungry, and although I’m sure he’s doing fine, he definitely is giving me the old stink-eye.
Hunting in the puddles of the next settling pond.
He never took a sip. I imagine he smelled something interesting there.
Coyotes are in the “dog” family. Here’s one way to scratch an itch that will look familiar to you dog-owners.
As does this.
Back up…..
…and the hunt and exploration continues
One last look before the group disappears into the vegetation along the Santa Cruz River.
