Really? A coyote in a tree? A COYOTE? In a TREE?
I don’t know about you but this is definitely a first for me and I see coyotes all the time!
Gary said the coyote is standing in a Mayday tree and he thinks it was after the fruit. That’s not an unreasonable guess because, according to Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, “Blueberries and other fruits are heavily used (by coyotes) in season.”
Gary also said, “It took me a couple days of chasing it around the neighbourhood before it wouldn’t come back. I didn’t want someone to report it to the city because of their possible (probable) response.” Thanks for that Gary! I know that most ranchers around here consider them a pest but I actually like coyotes. I have seen them exhibit absolutely endearing behaviour. Last year I grew quite attached to a coyote couple that I used to see all the time. One got injured and the other would sit and wait patiently until the injured one caught up. I also saw one “leaping playfully in the snow.” My husband just tipped one eyebrow at me and said it was probably pouncing on it’s lunch. What does HE know?! I say it was frolicking out of pure joy!
And FYI… Coyote, Canis latrans, is one of the seven members of the Canidae family found in Canada. Other members are the wolf, red fox, arctic fox, grey fox, swift fox, and dog.
-m-
PS My husband might be right (damn). When I looked up coyote on Hinterland Who’s Who it said, “The coyote is fond of playing with other coyotes, even with its prey before devouring it.” But it also said, “Scientists are intrigued by the coyote’s howling, which seems to be a means of communication. The cry invariably brings a reply, then a sort of commentary followed by another prolonged cry, and finally a volley of raucous yelpings. Is it a cry for food, for a mate, or a proclamation of its territorial claims? Is it just an expression of joy at being alive or of sociability?” I rest my case.
Thanks Maggie! I suspect it was also using the water in my Koi pond. I assume that it may have been attracted to the pond as the temperature had been below 0°C and most other water sources in the area would have been frozen. My method of over-wintering my pond involves keeping at least a small opening that allows for the use of an air pump to supply the fish that I leave in the pond with the necessary oxygen to survive the winter. The “lucky” fish get transported to Medicine Hat High School where they spend the winter in the large aquarium there. As they get larger, their “luck” tends to run out and they get the full winter of SE Alberta.