On Sunday I saw a coyote at the orchard. I was sitting watching the Kittens at Play when all of a sudden I heard the roosters kick up a fuss and the dog starting to bark.

I looked up and saw a coyote chasing the roosters off to the side of the house. The roosters were taking flight and quickly getting away.

If you look closely here you can see the coyote in the center of the picture just above the chain link fence.

The coyote quickly headed off into the orchard. Here is a long distance shot of the coyote. Here in California we have the California Valley Coyote (Canis latrans ochropus).

I am more familiar with the Plains Coyote (Canis latrans latrans). It is the largest of the coyote subspecies. I remember my first Boy Scout camp out and hearing the coyotes howl in the distance.

If you have read The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog you will get a great description of coyotes and how they live. The Hank the Cowdog series is by John R. Erickson who worked on ranches in the Panhandle area. He may have heard some of the same coyotes howl that I did as we were camping near one of the ranches he worked on at the time.

Just as the coyote passed through there was a big ruckus from the chicken coop. I went and took a look and one of the chickens was roosting in the rafters and making lots of noise. They know how to spread the alarm.

The little kittens also disappeared under cover as the mother cat came running.

One of the chickens came over to where I was standing outside the coop and took a good look at me. She is used to having me visit inside, not outside. This chicken likes me a bit. See an interesting picture of her in my post Chickens.

Luckily all the animals were OK after the coyote passed through. They usually have a healthy respect for the orchard dog and quickly go away.

Have you seen a coyote recently?

Steven