Coyote Sighting!

A GWLT Volunteer Conservation Ranger reported this in today:

"Just wanted to give you a heads up on a confirmed (neighbor saw it too) sighting of a coyote walking down Navasota Ave and heading into Cascades park at the end of the street last night at dusk. Strange to see one in daylight, the neighborhood dogs and cats were all in a tizzy over it."

We saw one two years ago at the back door to the Lodge, and periodically the dogs up the street go nuts at night, but there hasn't been any confirmed sightings since then, UNTIL NOW.

This is good news for the forest.

The only way to manage the population of squirrels, chipmunks, game birds, very very occasionally an old or ill deer, absent hunting by people is to have a natural balancer, i.e. predator. Their presence indicates a healthy balance of wildlife.

Their is a catch of course:
KEEP ALL PETS INDOORS FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN.
KEEP ALL TRASH, PARTICULARLY FOOD WASTE, SECURE.

These guys tend to be shy so noise scares them away.
Do yourself and the coyote a favor, if you see one near houses or the road scare it off.
This will avoid acculturation which will get the coyote a death sentence for people concerned with possible rabies.

By the way, dusk isn't all that uncommon a time to see one of these guys. Noontime would be.

Speaking of coyotes, we also had a red fox sighting the other day from the GWLT Interns.
It was walking away quickly with a grey squirrel in it's mouth.
This is also good news for the forest.