came within just a few feet away from me this morning,
allowing me to capture a wonderful wildlife shot.
This coyote came up into the yard......while I was outside working on my vintage shop, which is unusual for coyotes to do.
It is just inches away from the chicken yard. I happened to hear my chickens squawking and saw it.
If you remember, I have lost quite a few of my good laying hens to these predators.
Sophie, my dog took off after it, with me frantically yelling for her to stop,......... she finally let it run off.
After all of the excitement was over, in only about 5 minutes, the coyote returned............not at all afraid of my presence. This was my photo opportunity. All of the time I was taking these photos, my son was warning me to get a gun to shoot this creature.
But I would rather shoot this way..........
I could tell from the scrawny look of it that it does not have rabies..........
but that it is a female and has probably a litter of pups to feed and she was desperate to get a chicken dinner.
She is on one side of my chicken pen and I am on the other........a stand off of sorts.
Although she is scary...........to me she is very pretty.
Finally after yelling and waving a shovel at her, she half heartedly retreated back to the woods.
I know she will be back and now Sophie and I have to keep a real close eye on the grounds to keep all who live here safe.
How about you?
Have you had a close encounter with the wild side?
I would love to hear!
23 comments:
We do have coyotes, but I've never been so close to one! I'd tend to follow your son's advice :) I think raccoons are more of a threat to us.
Fantastic photos ! Over here the Coyotes and Coywolves roam around towns and cities as they are no longer afraid of humans any more, they live among them mainly because humans have pushed them out of their natural habitats by all the buildings going up subdivisions being put up all over and they adapt to living off of garbage and even ones small dog or cat every now and then . There are a lot of small forest type land in cities over here and that's were they hide out ! Thanks for sharing . Have a good weekend !
I can't help siding with the wild critters, knowing all the while that they aren't always a farmer's friend. Most do have a place in the ecosystem, I believe. You really captured some great photos of your hungry little visitor. Best wishes to the hens!
Awesome photos. I love all creatures, but ya' don't want them in the hen house either. Odds are, she'll be back. A few weeks ago I had a close encounter with a huge (probably close to 300 pounds) Arkansas razor back boar, tusks and all. They are truly nasty destructive beasts, and are "shoot on sight" in Missouri. Of course I don't pack a gun or camera! I certainly don't want to see him again.
She is a beauty for sure!! Love looking at the pictures of her. Hope all your chicks stay safe.
That is really exciting, Kathleen! You just never know what will show up next, do you? We've had a huge possum walking the wood fences in our neighborhood, and neighbors saw a wildcat several streets over last year. Lots of woodland has been felled to make way for construction. It leaves these poor animals with no place to call home.
I have not had one like you did, BOY… that coyote is brave and probably very hungry to get so close to you. Maybe it’s the one that got to your chickens for it to be so stubborn. AND YOU!!! You were brave too, you captured this creature so well, I would have been shaking so bad I would have never gotten a clear shot. Question… Have they ever attacked humans?
Mine is a cute story and one that happen just yesterday. I was out adding seed to the feeder and the little nuthatches were not afraid of me at all. While I was taking down the feeder, one lit right on the feeder and grabbed a sunflower seed from it. It was so close to my face and all the while he/she was verbally expressing it’s discuss that I was removing the feeder. It then flew to the side of the tree and hung there with seed in mouth and watched me as I added the seed to the feeder and no sooner than I put it back up, the others came to feed. They are so cute!
BUT… The best ever encounter was a few years ago at our old house; I held the hummingbird feeder up near my face and the hummers came to feed. There were about 5 hummers, the feeling of the wind from their wings on my face and hearing the buzzing sounds the wings made and not to mention the chitting sounds coming from them as they checked me out to make sure I was okay before taking a drink. I know I did not breathe nor did my heart beat for a few minutes, I did not move a muscle. When the blood started to drain from my arm, I reluctantly had to return the feeder to the hook. I was exhilarating.
Beautiful pictures - looking into the eyes of a wild one is an awesome experience. I have such ambivalent feelings about wild life and our domestic life. Their habitat has been so often destroyed and diminished and so they become unwelcome residents of our communities. A dilemma for sure.
Mary
Good Morning, I have had them run across the road when I have been going to see my kids. They have seen them in their yard close to their dog's kennel. I know they would have been shot if my son had his gun out.
He might not of kill it, but it would have been chased off. They have both dogs and horses. He tries to watch what he shoots around with his boys watching. Have a wonderful weekend, Hugs and Prayers from Your Missouri Friend
Oh my! Amazing photos, Kathleen, but that would have made me very scared to have it come so close like that.
Those chickens were yelling "shoot her, shoot her!". It just sounded like clucking. We have raccoons, possums and owls regularly. Once in awhile a coyote or a deer. ANd we live in town. It is kind of frightening that she was so bold, but I suppose hunger will do that. I hope you don't regret not shooting her later, and you sure don't want your dog to fight one. Keep a watch.
What a magic meeting you had, I know how exciting such an encounter can be. And yes I have something to share, please have a look at our story from nature:
http://pazzapazza2.blogspot.co.il/2012/04/desert-fox-mama-great-spirit.html
:-)
First off, I hope you get some of the moisture that is to come in this evening! I'm just to the NW of you and it looks like I/we might get dry slotted...it's to be to the NW and SE of me! :(
I have had a coyote experience, too, a couple of years ago. I heard them yipping so close and the dog going crazy. There were six of them. One in the yard and one outside my garage door! The others scattered further out. I went outside a little ways and yelled at the one by the door and it loped off several feet and just turned around and looked at me for awhile! I clapped my hands and they all finally left. I have cats in the garage and they are a delicacy to the coyotes!! Was glad they left.
The pics of your coyote are really good. She is pretty, but like you said a bad problem for us with chickens.
Blessings!
You are a brave lady! We have packs of coyotes on the mountain across our little creek. I've seen them running thru the woods and even in our yard. Everytime a train comes up thru the mountain valley, you can tell exactly where they are as they will start howling and yipping. They have been know to attack humans. I agree with your son.
hate to say it - but coyotes are part of God's creation - we fight against predation and yet - they are doing what they were created to do. Have had close encounters here - most coyotes in Parker County have been cross bred with dogs - tend to be larger. Your visitor is a classic coyote - and while I understand the need to protect yourself and your animals - looking into her eyes is a study in how hard life can be.
anyhow - thanks for sharing - stay safe and hope it begins to warm up for all of us!
Wow-I loved your photos-and loved reading all the comments. We do have coyotes here, and bear too. I saw a bear run across the road in front of me as I was driving-so glad I was in a car! But it is exciting to see such wild things...I understand your dilemma-but I hope your chickens will be safe too....
I've lived in SW Florida for decades and only recently have coyotes moved into the area. We noticed them and their distinctive sounds a couple of Thanksgivings ago and they stayed until Spring. They seem to change territory, probably so they don't deplete all the wildling food, and return about the same time since. Because I hear so many now, I realize they must have bred too well. Unfortunately, they also prey on the calves born in the vast acreage behind our place and, just today, I heard the ranchers out shooting. To answer one of your comments: I've only heard of one person being killed by a pack of coyotes and she was a jogger up north. Especially in the company of my dog (who might be regarded as food by the coyote), I wouldn't want to be near even one coyote, much less a pack of them. Due care, I think.
Wow! What an experience! These are fantastic photos of the coyote. I'm sure glad you dog didn't get injured by the coyote. We've had coyotes come into our yard. They scare me especially when they howl of the night. Great photos! You were brave to take them.
Wow! Lovely photos! We have coyotes were we live, I see them all time. They are beautiful and I'm always sad when harm comes to them.
Oh, poor coyote. She is just doing what she needs to do to survive. And we are the ones who are moving into their habitat most of the time. Great photos! Not sure I would have been so brave. :) Best wishes, Tammy
Kathleen, this coyote is beautiful and so regal. I'm so glad you didn't want to shoot her, especially since you suspect she might have babies. The pictures you took are lovely!
Hi again, I understand how frustrating it can be to loose your hens but wanted to share a warning-you probably already know this. Here in Colorado, the Coyotes will purposely try to draw a dog away from its home-either by playing or sending a female in heat. Once they have them a distance away, other coyotes will emerge and kill the dog. This has happened many times here in Colorado with some acquaintances. Coyotes are so very smart and dangerous. Have a great day!
Noreen
These critters are still shy in our neck of the desert. But a lone male has shown up and stolen two of our hens. So, all the girls are locked up now and not happy about it. This spring we will have to build a larger covered area to give more roaming room. I think we will give up on chickens as they pass away to the big egg shell in the sky.
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