Look at those ears! This watcher caught me unaware through the window at dawn. I shot him through double paned glass in the rain. Holler coyotes are quite bold now, coming through our fences before dawn and hanging out. This is a sub-adult, so I suspect he dug under the fences.
You can see he is bold, made and held eye contact, even while I grabbed my camera case, pulled out my camera, removed the lens cap, and got a few shots.
Since he didn’t back off, I opened the door, and walked after him. He sashayed off after I yelled.
This guy in Death Valley also stood his ground, but he was not challenging, more interested.
He sashayed off too.
These are more Holler sub-adult coyote siblings. The one who stared at me also has a sibling. All four are about the same age, sub-adult.
This is an adult. Coyotes and Grey Wolves may be the only ‘pure’ wild canine species still surviving in North America. Most other wolf species have at least some coyote DNA.
Red Wolves, for example, share 75% of their DNA with coyotes. For more on this read: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/distinctions-blur-between-wolf-species#:~:text=Red%20wolves%20contain%20about%2075,to%2050%20percent%20coyote%20ancestry.
There are also a lot of Ceonothus Silk Moths at The Holler right now. Ceonothus is lilac. We live in Lilac California, named after the wild lilacs that grow profusely here. Ceonothus Moths lay their eggs on wild lilac. They have a wing span of up to five inches, have no mouth, live only a matter of days and only live to reproduce.
They are calm and beautiful creatures who are not afraid of humans.
Cheers to you from The Holler Creatures~
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What beautiful – and bold – creatures! Beautiful shots, Cindy. What a short lifespan those moths have!
Thank you Dale. Maybe the moths aren’t scared of people because they know they have a short time among us. They are delightful creatures.
That might be it 😉 They are so lovely.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful Holler with us. I love your photos. Those coyotes are bold. And wow – lilac country? It must smell amazing among the lilacs. ♥.
You are so welcome Niki. I am so pleased you enjoyed, and yes, the lilacs are smelling heavenly right now.
Even though they scare me in person, I love seeing your pictures of the coyotes in their natural environment. They blend in so well. Interesting fact that some wolves share DNA with coyotes.
It is good you are scared of them. It helps keep everyone safe. I am pleased you enjoyed the photos. Thank you Mary.
Beautiful photos and a science lesson to boot! Always a pleasure to stop by! ☺️
At least there is no quiz on Monday! Thank you very much Felicia.
You had the most wonderful photos, Cindy. Perfect for Earth Day 2023!
Smiling…. Happy Earth Day Rebecca & thank you.
Meravigliosa natura, densa di immagini irripetibili e davvero molto emozionanti.
Buon fine settimana e un caro saluto,silvia
Grazie mille per la tua gentile premura Silvia.
Wow. Great shots!
Thanks much Michael.
You’re most welcome, Cindy.
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Fantastic shots, Cindy. That intense stare and those ears! We encounter coyotes in our neighborhood here in Pasadena and I keep my distance! Enjoyed this series. Happy Earth Day! 🌎💚
I didn’t know you live in Pasadena! For some reason, I thought you lived in The Bay Area. We are nearly neighbors! Happy Earth Day.
Wow! You’re right- lived in SF and moved during the pandemic. 🙂
So that’s why you were in the desert.
I live in a very urban area, and we have coyotes. I admire them as wild animals (and of course, they look so much like dogs that how could I not?), but I do worry about their presence in an environment that isn’t natural for them. Plus, they’ve been known to hunt and kill small pets, which is disturbing. I think finding a way to live in peace with wildlife is going to be an increasing challenge in the future.
Yes. It is challenging. I have learned, and utilize very effective methods for deterring coyotes without harming them. That said, if people feed wild coyotes, they lose their fear of humans, making them quite dangerous. It is best when humans and coyotes are wary of each other.
Wonderful coyote photos!
So happy you enjoyed Dawn& thanks much.
Wow! Those ears and those eyes. Fantastic photos, Cindy!
So happy you enjoyed Michele & you are most welcome.
I had read about them in books and it was good to see your photos. Thank you.
So pleased you are interested Lakshmi & you are most welcome.
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Fabulous shots, Cindy!
Thank you very much Eugi & cheers to you.
What a fantastic moth! We planted a couple of California Lilacs last year shame we won’t get those moths!
You very well might, depending on where you live. They are wonderful creatures. They hang out with you and are unafraid.
Not in the UK though Cindy.
Not unless they get caught in someone’s packages, which actually happened to me with a frog from Africa to Paris. They inspect everything so carefully to prevent this, but when I opened my suitcase in Paris, one of the frogs that had been in our room in South Africa hopped happily out! I opened the window and off he went in Gay Paree! A Bald Eagle actually flew to the UK too. I think he was caught in a wind draft. They flew him back British Air, probably business class! 😉 😉
Hmmmm. BOLD!
Indeed. I prefer wary.
Those coyotes would have terrified me. I shudder to think what Monkey would have done, had he come face to face with one! Still, their eyes are mesmerizing, aren’t they?
Yes. Mesmerizing and bit threatening too. Quite calculating დ
Guess they’ll stick around ’til you holler at ’em. Great shots. I’ve rarely seen them and never more than one.
Tee hee hee! Thank you for making me laugh & smile Dave! 😉 😉
I had to laugh at that coyote in Death Valley that was slinking away. He looked SO much like Wile E. Coyote from the Warner Bros. cartoons!
I swear those Disney cartoonists were naturalists. Their depictions were so accurate! დ
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Gratitude for you Sharon! Thank you დ
Coyotes are everywhere now, even in our neighborhood in NC. They are particularly noise in the spring, when the youngsters are migrating to new territory and cross another coyotes area. Two of them can sound like ten when they get going. Love your pictures – especially since getting a good view of them here is difficult.
They are the most adaptable creatures. They live in almost every ecosystem imaginable and they are notoriously difficult to capture on a human held camera.
This is the other side of your beautiful World in Nature and Pictures!
Yes. Indeed. We have rattlesnakes too! დ
You are brave Cindy. That intimidating stare of the coyote would have had me running. We seem to have a coyote problem here in Toronto. I wonder if they came from your neck of the woods. Lol <3
They probably did come from California. All sorts of riff-raff comes from California to Canada, myself and my hubby most particularly! 😉 😉
Lolol, so funny 🙂 😉
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Oooh I love those shots of the coyotes. Wonderful creatures, but also can be dangerous (especially if you have pets). We have them here in Vancouver and there are warning signs around the city including where I hike every day. I’ve seen a few over the years – always a spellbinding moment for me. They’re pretty shy here, but if we see a big pile of fur on the trail we know someone’s pet has been coyote dinner.
Alison
Yes. They are wild and wiley, not to be underestimated. Cheers to you Alison & thank you დ
Wow absolutely gorgeous creatures! I see a sort of softness of curiosity in their eyes! You have amazing animals near the Holler! I am thankful they not near my house to try to chomp on my little fur kid! Tee hee! Have a super day! Your photos always delight me!
Your lovely comment delighted me as do your happy posts! Thank you Lisa & take good care დ
You live in such a wonderful place, Cindy. Thank you for sharing your creatures with us!
Thank you more for appreciating them Kellye დ
How interesting about coyotes and gray wolves. I had no idea. That first young guy reminds me of the large white-tailed doe who stared back at me the other day. She and several younger does decided to browse and rest outside my art room window. At first I tried not to move and startle them, but I had to get some things ready for my next class so I moved a little. She instantly saw the movement and we gazed at each other for several seconds before she decided I was okay and calmly began to graze again. Her eyes and ears were huge, too! wildlife is so fascinating!
Deers have the most soulful eyes and faces. This sounds like a peaceful and special encounter Kathy. Lovely that she trusted you. Animals tend to have a good sense of whom to trust დ
We have a lot of bold coyotes living in our area as well. We have had a few small dogs killed which is too bad. They come right up to the houses and even walk down the street. A bit scary if you have a little pup.
Yes. They are worthy of serious wariness, especially aroung young children and pets დ
I love to hear the yipping of coyotes in the desert. There is a group of coyote/wolf hybrids in Galveston. They are mixed with red wolf DNA.
Wow. I didn’t know that. I would love to see them დ
There is quite a few videos of them on Google. I think you would have to live there to catch a glimpse.
I will check them out.
These are some incredible shots, Cindy. Coyotes have always fascinated me, and I think it is because I’ve heard so many legends about them from my friends of the Cayuse and Umatilla tribes I grew up with 🙂
Wonderful to hear from you Randall and thank you very much. You grew up with them? In such a beautiful part of the world? Coyotes are incredible creatures. They are like ravens. They can adapt to every environment no matter how hostile. They are the epitome of survival of the fittest. They survive in Death Valley and The Bronx! Hope all is well with you and your family my friend დ
Cindy! These are all amazing shots! I’m wondering who puts the blue pools of water down for these incredible guys and gals?
I love how you can see the details of his wet fur in the first two shots. How amazing you can see them from your window!
We found where he dug under our fences and blocked it off, so I am not see him so closely now, which is better for all concerned! დ
Wow. Spectacular!, 🤩
Grazie mille Michael დ
Pure Italian. In my language (Maltese) it would be “Grazzi hafna”, 🙂