BIG Owl on my Trail

Don't cats climb trees? ;)
A cat wouldn't go after a raccoon. A puma would. But we don't have any in our area.
 
Dear Coyote,

Thank you for your efforts at gopher control, but please don't dig up the strawberries, and please mind the irrigation hoses.

 
3 Coyotes on Thoroughbred Trail 04/29/23

I've been following this mated pair and their yearling pup since Spring of 2022, but I hadn't seen them all on the camera simultaneously in awhile.

There was a rumor a few weeks ago that someone had shot a coyote in Westfield, but here are these 3, apparently healthy, so it wasn't one of them.

 
Owl Harasses Coyote Twice on Thoroughbred Trail, 04/30/23

After the owl dive-bombs the coyote the first time, s/he takes a left turn through the garden and perches where she can watch him, then takes another crack at him. I cut out 40 seconds of dead time where there was no action, so watch the time-stamp if you're curious.

 
Owl Harasses Coyote on Thoroughbred Trail 05/04/23

They're at it again.

 
This is becoming a regular thing:

Owl Harasses Coyote In My Garden 05/05/23

S/he swoops down and bonks him on the the head. In the second clip you can see him/her perch on the branch above the unoccupied Barn Owl box.

 
Happy Belated Mother's Day to Momma Coyote and her 7 (!) new pups! This is the first time I've captured them on camera this season. Count 'em!!!!

The owl is not going to be happy about this.

 
Coyote Pup on Thoroughbred Trail 05/23/23



It seems like this pup has nearly doubled in size since I first saw the litter last week.

I scanned the camera footage ±5 minutes, and there's no adult supervision, so the den must be very close.
 
Coyote Harasses Owl 05/27/23

I'm not sure what he thinks he can do about it, but at least he's finally asserting himself!

 
This isn't off my trail cameras, but it's still funny.

TIFU: Tux Meets Lucifer

Lucifer the Feral has been coming around for free meals, and Tux et al. have been watching him very carefully. I thought I'd crack the door and let them sniff each other a bit.

I got my sliding door repaired a few years ago. I didn't know they had done such a great job! My cat can open it with just a nudge.

Let's not do that again

 
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Owl Harasses 2 Coyotes 06/01/23

This might be the best one yet. We can see the lead coyote looking over his shoulder, as if he's anticipating the attack. The owl gets so close that she nearly bowls him over.

And then the coyotes just carry on like nothing happened.

 
Coyote Family of Eight, 05/29/23

There are 3 clips spliced together, spanning about 7 hours during one evening:



The first third shows 3 adults, which is probably the mated pair and their yearling cub from last Spring, plus a few of the new cubs. One of the adults catches a gopher at the right edge of the screen and then plays with it while a new cub watches.

The second third shows at least 5 new cubs following an adult under the fence. I saw 7 new cubs as of 2 weeks ago (5/16/23), so this could mean the family is as large as 10! But I can confirm only 8 from this video.

The last third just shows more cub action as they chase each other on the trail.
 
Coyote Pups, No Adult Supervision, on Thoroughbred Trail, 06/04/23

These pups showed up on camera all night, with no adult supervision. Any suggestions on what this means for the proximity of the den?

A dozen sets of neighbors walk all manner of dogs, off-leash, on this trail daily, so I can’t imagine the den is that close, but I’m seeing the pups very regularly, often without any chaperones.

 
Owl Harasses Barking Coyotes on Thoroughbred Trail, 06/11/23



This one has sound effects!!!
 
Coyote With Prey on Thoroughbred Trail, 06/18/23



Unfortunately I think this is a cat .

Please, folks, keep your cats indoors. A cat might be able to outrun one coyote, but it doesn't stand a chance against 3-4 of them hunting cooperatively. And we have a family of at least 5, and possibly as many as 10, on Thoroughbred Trail this spring.
 
Coyotes' Happy Family on Thoroughbred, 06/22/23



Mom, Dad, a yearling, and two pups playing on Thoroughbred Trail.
 
Coyote Pups Playing with Mom and Dad, 06/23/23



Although the playful adult might be last spring's yearling, but I can't tell.
 
Coyote With Prey on Thoroughbred Trail, 07/06/23



I think this is a chicken, based on the shape of the feet.

Keep your small animals secured!