Years ago in Tucson, Arizona, I saw my first Coyote (Canis latrans). One would think a logical place to see one. Historically Coyotes have been found in prairies and desert areas of Mexico and central North America. But now they can be found in 49 of the United States with the exception of Hawaii, thanks in part to agriculture, forest fragmentation, expansion of human development, and the decline in populations of their predators which include wolves and cougars, great horned owls, bald and golden eagles and bears.

Two days ago, after all this time, I saw my second Coyote. Extremely quick and elusive, I was unable to get a photo of it. Today though it saw it again and had success in capturing it in pixels.

These critters are opportunistic predators. At the top of their preferences for dining come small mammals like rabbits, voles, shrews, and mice. They’ll also eat skunks, frogs, beavers, birds, insects, berries, road-killed deer and other carrion they might come upon. They normally travel as well as search for food alone or occasionally in pairs.

Sure glad I got pictures today!

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