A second coyote-related first

Two in three days, when I can go months at a time without even thinking about coyotes! Weird.

I was doing what has evolved into my security round yesterday afternoon, without the dogs for once because I had a grim job at Landlady’s and didn’t need the boys’ help. There’s an untenanted property that got ripped off last year and which I’m now actually paid money to mind. It’s down low near a wash on ground similar to the Lair, though within sight of a road. Normally nobody has reason to go there.

I pulled off the road onto the driveway – my main function is just to look for open doors and leave fresh tracks around – and I stopped the Jeep to look at something unusual on the flat, something maybe fifty yards away that looked exactly unlike a rock or a bush. It was a big coyote, facing away from me but turned to look over his shoulder at me and standing very still. Okay, two sightings in three days is unusual but not blogworthy and I was getting ready to move again when he decided I really was worth moving away from. And then behind him came a second coyote, also headed for the bush, and then a third, smaller … and then a very small one.

I know coyotes live in packs because everybody says so and because sometimes you can hear them singing in the mornings and evenings. But I’ve only ever seen them in onesies. I’ve never seen a pack and never expected to; coyote home life is very private. Can’t believe this bunch took a pup so close to a traveled road.