I watched this coyote for a few hours as it wandered around the meadow, hunting for food. Most of the time, it walked as it explored. If it heard the rustling of a rodent, it would turn in that direction and intently listen and watch. Then it would slowly position itself as it honed in on its prey. Finally, when it was ready to strike, it would crouch down, leap into the air and pounce on its prey. I saw it successfully catch and eat four rodents. Coyotes are omnivores and will eat almost anything they can catch. Tom Brown states,” A typical meat diet includes fifty percent rabbit, twenty-five percent small rodents (mostly voles), and twenty-five percent carrion… They also eat birds and a variety of fruit, nuts, and leaves.” I was amazed that birds were not more upset with its presence. Once, it flushed a Bewick’s wren. The wren popped up onto a blackberry cane and intently watched, but surprisingly, it never made an alarm call or any other vocalizations.
Interestingly, Tom Brown writes: “Contrary to popular belief, coyotes are solitary. (The so-called ‘bands’ of coyotes that are sometimes seen are almost always family groups composed of a mother and her young.)”
Coyotes are well camouflaged. Their coats are a broad range of grays, browns, and white. There were moments when I was watching that it seemingly disappeared as it blended in so well with the dead grass.
Coyotes are nocturnal for the most part, so it seemed a little unusual to see this one hunting throughout the morning and into the afternoon. That said, it was one of those gray days when the entire day looked like the dim light before sunset.
Reference
Brown, Tom, and Brandt Morgan. Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking. Berkley trade pbk. ed, Berkley Books, 1983.
