You'll never guess what I just saw in my backyard by SIGNYM

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

You'll never guess what I just saw in my backyard

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, March 26, 2015 18:21
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Saturday, January 3, 2015 11:20 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

A coyote. A real honest-to-god coyote: Long pointy nose, tall legs, brindled black/brown/tan fur, shaggy mane. Kind of on the big side, too... I guess about 40 lbs. THAT must be why the neighborhood dogs were raising such a ruckus last night!

Holy shit.

And we don't live near any wild/exurban neighborhood .... nope, strictly suburban. I can't even imagine where it's denning.

I guess I won't be needing to trap those feral cats anymore. Now the birds stand a chance of surviving.

I wish I'd taken a picture!

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Saturday, January 3, 2015 2:33 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Did you inform the dogcatcher?

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Saturday, January 3, 2015 3:03 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Foxes and Coyotes aren't uncommon in the burbs of Atlanta. I haven't seen any, but I know several who have.

Just after Christmas, I saw 2 doe in the front yard of a near by neighborhood. Out among all the Christmas decorations... I thought for a second " Wow. Those really do look life like... " , until they turned tail. Really cool to see.

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Saturday, January 3, 2015 6:57 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Wow, beautiful Signy. Shame you couldn't snap a picture.

I saw a fox recently down near the beach in broad daylight. It was so gorgeous lookinga stunning looking creature, but unfortuntately a real pest of a species here.

There are lots of foxes in the city as well, living in parks and green belts and coming into backyards to scavenge for food. Around my area, they kill chickens in great numbers.

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Sunday, January 4, 2015 6:41 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

Shiny! I saw a raccoon once in the city, which, at the time, was unusual.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
A coyote. A real honest-to-god coyote: Long pointy nose, tall legs, brindled black/brown/tan fur, shaggy mane. Kind of on the big side, too... I guess about 40 lbs. THAT must be why the neighborhood dogs were raising such a ruckus last night!

Holy shit.

And we don't live near any wild/exurban neighborhood .... nope, strictly suburban. I can't even imagine where it's denning.

I guess I won't be needing to trap those feral cats anymore. Now the birds stand a chance of surviving.

I wish I'd taken a picture!

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Sunday, January 4, 2015 6:42 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

And of the 2 legged with wings variety, I saw a beautiful Cardinal atop someone's roof. Red as vibrant as can be.

SGG

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Sunday, January 4, 2015 12:25 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

So you understand, THIS is not a coyote-friendly neighborhood! Most of the lots are fairly large ... on the order to 8,000 -10,000 square feet (some are larger) but the homes in this corner of my fair city are all built the same way: The houses stretch across the lots literally from one side to another (house, attached garage, fence and gate) and the backyards are entirely walled or fenced in. In order to move from one backyard to another, animals have to climb or jump. So this neighborhood is replete with climbing animals: feral cats, domesticated cats, opossums, tree rats, squirrels, and raccoons, and foxes (I've been told, but haven't seen any).

Animals that DON'T climb or jump are nearly non-existent: rabbits, skunks, ground squirrels, and pocket gophers, etc. For a coyote to hunt in this neighborhood it would have to do a LOT of wall-jumping. So I think this animal was just- literally- looking around. Checking out the neighborhood and the prospects of food. Once the feral cats are killed and the small dogs and pet cats are kept indoors at night, and the neighbors stop leaving out pet food this will be very unwelcoming neighborhood. So I think this was a once-in-a-lifetime sighting.

But still awesome, tho!

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Friday, January 9, 2015 9:44 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK

I bet it was Bigby.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, January 13, 2015 8:19 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Heard on the news this morning that a coyote was caught in Manhattan. They released it in your backyard - err, I mean in the wilderness.

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Saturday, January 17, 2015 9:48 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Hubby and friend saw it jump over the neighbor's back wall yesterday.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, January 17, 2015 11:18 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

"Heard on the news this morning that a coyote was caught in Manhattan."

It might have been a coywolf, a cross between a coyote and a wolf. The hybrids are sometimes called eastern coyotes when they occur Newfoundland through Pennsylvania and west through Ontario.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

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Sunday, January 18, 2015 1:50 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Didn't a pack of them kill a female hiker in Quebec about 10 years ago?

Anyway, hubby's estimate of this coyote was 35 pounds, which is close to mine (35-40). Healthy-looking and so large that when I saw if originally,, the only thought that kept running through my head was HOW do you tell a coyote from a wolf, again? If I wasn't absolutely sure that there are no wolves or coyo-wolves in our area, I'd be a worried!

In my cynical way, I'm just waiting for the feral cats to disappear before I even think of calling Animal Control.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Sunday, January 18, 2015 2:23 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

"Didn't a pack of them kill a female hiker in Quebec about 10 years ago?"

Yes, they did. At the time the existence of the coywolf was unknown. And because the behavior was so unusual, it took a long time before it was settled that a new hybrid species was responsible.

"Coyote males average 8–20 kg (18–44 lb) in weight, while females average 7–18 kg (15–40 lb), though size varies geographically. Northern subspecies, which average 18 kg (40 lb), tend to grow larger than the southern subspecies of Mexico, which average 11.5 kg (25 lb). ... The coyote is typically smaller than the gray wolf, but has longer ears and a larger braincase,[16] as well as a thinner frame, face and muzzle. The coyote also carries its tail downwards when running or walking, rather than horizontally as the wolf does.["

I've seen fairly small coyotes but also two very tall, long-legged ones - light but as tall as a large German Shepard.

Coyote:

Grey wolf (apparently most genetically similar to the coyote)

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Sunday, January 18, 2015 10:27 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Thanx for the pix, it was definitely a coyote. Narrow muzzle.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Sunday, January 18, 2015 2:02 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

In that picture it's amazing how 'foxy' a coyote face looks.

N and Central American red fox:

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Sunday, January 18, 2015 6:45 PM

JO753

rezident owtsidr

THerez a family uv dear in my nayborhood. Just watched them wandering around the yard next door; mommy, daddy & 3 littlunz.

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DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early

http://www.nooalf.com

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Monday, January 19, 2015 3:45 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Lucky you!

My in-laws live across from a very large property that was deeded to the city as a nature preserve, and they see deer grazing in the field almost every day. What a sight!

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015 6:21 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

I'm thinking wild Lynx has you beat.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/26/woman-follows-wild-lynx-around
-outside-mall-in-terrace-bay-ont-and-calls-it-kitty/

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