Taking a break from peregrines today … Let’s talk about coyotes.
Last fall a coyote showed up in my city neighborhood and was seen at dusk in several locations before he moved on a month later.
We were all surprised that a wild animal chose to be among us and it made me curious. Why would a coyote come to town? How did coyotes get here?
The answers became a radio piece on The Allegheny Front last week. Listen to the story here: When Coyotes Come To Town
Even when coyotes are present they are rarely seen but are sometimes heard. In urban settings they respond to sirens (click here for a sirens video from Tucson, Arizona(*)
Friends in Pittsburgh tell me they’ve heard coyotes in Sewickley Heights Park, Scott Township, and Hazelwood Greenway.
Have you heard coyotes near you? Leave a comment and let me know.
(photo credits: Coyote closeup by ForestWander via Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original. Coyote in Greenfield in October 2017 by Luanne Lavelle)
(*) p.s. Every time I listen to the Tucson video it makes me laugh. The siren wails, the coyotes wail back. On and on.
Frequently hear coyotes, but I live in a rural area of Westmoreland Co.
I saw one on 279 south close to north side about couple of weeks ago. Close to the highway by the grass.
Kate…My husband and I are in agreement with so many of the comments about the peregrine situation. We sent a letter. The decision is a disappointment, but not a surprise. My main interest is the plight of so many of our native plants. Without them…well, you know. “Takings” are happening all around us all the time.
You are so right about the plants. People have been decimating endangered plants in California. It’s a huge problem, but the Feds are finding the people responsible and prosecuting. They’ve been digging up the plants and mailing them to other countries where people are willing to spend a lot of money for them, but most, definitely don’t even survive. The plants that have been recovered, fortunately, have been replanted. If people see anyone digging up plants on public property should report it.
thank you for the link to When Coyotes Come to Town. Your presentations are always informative.
I live in Illinois in the Fox Valley west of Chicago, and I both see and hear coyotes weekly and at all times of the day and night. They trot through my yard and along the side of the roads, mainly at dusk and dawn. They howl at train whistles as well as sirens. I have stopped feeding the birds since the seed attracted small mammals which in turn attracted the coyotes, and I don’t want to encourage them to linger in my yard. But otherwise they are harmless and a majestic part of nature. I don’t leave my small dogs out by themselves, and I had a colony of feral cats in my backyard for years, and while I worried, the coyotes never bothered them.
We have coyotes around us, but we are in a rural area of Washington County. We hear them but seldom see them. A few years ago there was a badly injured one hanging around our yard for a few days (hit by a car, we presume, one back leg was almost useless). At first we only got glimpses of it at night and thought it was a dog. We were trying to figure out what to do because it obviously couldn’t hunt with its injury.
We called the game commission but they wouldn’t come out because “it might leave before they arrived”. A veterinarian friend said she could give us something that would sedate it if we put it out in some meat and then she could put it down. We were thinking about doing that but then the next day we saw it leave the yard and never saw it again. It’s tough seeing the injuries that wild animals survive, knowing what pain they must be in, and that they will probably die from them.
Have heard of coyote in our Mt Lebanon neighborhood. Thanks for the helpful tips. I’ll be listening now that I know what they sound like.
There has been several coyote sightings in Forest Hills in recent months. I have heard them just last week. In my opinion, their presence is a good thing for wildlife balance.
Had a very nice conversation with John Hayes from the post gazette this morning concerning his article in the paper today, I asked if he will give us updates and possibly videos of how the chicks are doing in the rehabbing facility. He said that was a great idea and he would. I asked if if they relocated the chicks and the mother to the gulf tower nest then the mother could continue to raise the chicks. But he said the Audubon Society said they did not think that would work as the parents would still associate with the nest they were moved from. That I don’t understand. I would think that Louie would find the mom and chicks and all would be well. My human emotions here.. looks like tomorrow (Thursday) is the day.. still praying for a miracle!!! Your thoughts Kate??
Will these chicks be banded so we can know where they end up?
I live in the Woodland Ridge neighborhood in Moon Township. On Easter Sunday, several different neighbors spotted a coyote traveling through back yards along the woods line of the ridge.
My neighbor in Hampton Township says she has heard them at night in the woods behind her house. I haven’t heard or seen them, but agree that they are a beautiful part of nature. Thank you, Kate, for your reporting on what to look for in our own back yards, and for encouraging us to get out there and see more.
Here in the foothills of Southern California where I live, coyotes are so common they barely rate a mention unless someone loses a pet, then it’s “you can’t leave pets out in the foothills” vs. “my pets should be able to enjoy their own yard”. “Then don’t live in the foothills.” And on and on. My favorite coyote thing is when they start yipping during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl (every time), and half the audience is whispering “OMG, what is that?”, while the rest just shrugs “coyotes”.
Janet, I love it!
Hear them fairly often and see them once in a while in my yard in Scott Township. I seem to have fewer groundhogs now, which is fine with me. I love having coyotes around but worry people will hurt them. My friend in Wyoming has grizzly bears in her driveway, so coyotes don’t seem that big a deal!
We hear and see coyotes frequently, but then again, we live in Tucson. They even jump the 6 foot wall into my backyard.
I live in Swissvale, PA, just outside the city of Pittsburgh. We have a fairsized park set like a bowl in a hillside. The sloping edges are wooded. It’s called Les Getz Park. A Swissvale community policeman told me that coyotes cleaned the deer out of the park.
I never hear them, but came face to face with one while walking on a trail near my house. It was REALLY close, so fortunately it ran into the woods as soon as it saw me. I continued my walk with a long, thick stick I found nearby, just in case!
As sightings of coyotes increase, here’s what to do when you see one: http://triblive.com/local/valleynewsdispatch/13606432-74/as-sightings-of-coyotes-increase-heres-what-to-do-if-you-see