This morning, the baby coyote was lying down in the backyard, waiting for his breakfast. (This is an update to my post, Coyote Whisperer.) As soon as he saw me, he stood up and waited patiently while I put out his dry dog food. Actually, he was patient for about two seconds, then he began dancing around in anticipation of eating.
He looks so healthy and beautiful! His winter coat is shiny and full, he’s put on weight, and his fur has beautiful markings on it. He let me get up close enough to take pictures with my phone (camera clicks scare them), but what I really wanted to do was stroke his lush fur with my hands. I’m not foolish enough to attempt that, however! I really can’t even call him a baby anymore, and I don’t actually know if he’s a male or a female. (And there again, I’m not going to risk getting mauled by poking around.) We call all the coyotes “Bambi,” regardless of sex. That’s our signal to let them know we are going to feed them.
Not long after, his Mom and Dad showed up. They, also, look healthy and thriving, which makes me very happy.
Coyotes are very sensitive to noise, and they’re always sniffing the air and looking out for predators who might harm them. They don’t like my neighbor’s dogs, who chase them back out into the open fields. They’re used to our dog, Max, who’s usually locked up in his kennel, and playfully tease him because they know he isn’t going to hurt them. Even if he chases them, they just run a short distance, stop, and turn around and look at him. Then they wait for us to call him back. It’s like a game to them. And when Max goes after the Baby, they chase each other around a bush until we call the dog back. It’s the cutest thing to watch. But the Baby isn’t afraid. He just wants his food.
And then there’s the birds!
Well, that’s how our day starts out every morning!
Dawn Pisturino
December 7, 2021
Remember Pearl Harbor Today.
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Dawn Pisturino's Blog 
That’s sweet you have coyote fans you can enjoy and take care of. You have a lot of quail.
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We have a lot of doves and quail. We had several batches of baby doves this year, but no baby quail because of the drought. That’s the first time that’s happened. And there’s a fourth coyote, but it doesn’t come around very often.
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Wow. How wonderful that the coyotes come so close.
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It’s a matter of mutual trust. We’re trusting that they won’t hurt us, and they’re trusting that we won’t hurt them. Thanks for stopping by!
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run with their pack
predate
and all we lack
too many of us
not enough of them
and an accurate understanding of their true beauty
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Very beautiful. Thanks!
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tatanka!
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That is quite a start to your day, Dawn! I got excited when I saw a quail family of five in my yard a few hours ago. You have an entire quail village! It is remarkable that your dog and the coyotes are more friends than foes. I suppose they are used to each other. I haven’t heard any howling coyotes since my last mention, but I love it when I do. Thank you for sharing part of your wild world with us.
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You are welcome, Michele! Thanks for visiting.
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Dawn, you have a regular wild kingdom in your yard! I remember your story about the coyotes, and you all seem to have built trust with them. I have never heard of anyone getting this close to coyotes or bears. Obviously you have an advantage for doing an up close and personal case study about your interaction with these beautiful animals. What a way to start your day!!! 😊🙏🏼🤗
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The animals are having a difficult time finding food and water because of the drought we’ve been in for a long time, so in many ways, they are dependent on us to get enough food and water. It’s nice to watch them and interact with them, but it’s not good for them to be too dependent on us. Coyotes are scavengers and will eat what they can get, so dry dog food is probably gourmet food to them! Thanks for visiting, Kym!
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Oh wow. I understand your point Dawn. You are a kindhearted person, but cautious at the same time. I truly admire your courage my dear. Be safe! 🥰👍🏼💖
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Dawn, you are such an extremely kind and caring person! Thank you for caring about coyotes and all wildlife. I was a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for many years. I have a suggestion. I don’t know whether or not you may all ready be in contact with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and I’m not quite sure where you live. You may find it very helpful to contact and work with a wildlife rehabilitator in your area because, when you find the right person (not every one is equally knowledgeable about coyotes), I believe they would be very helpful. Feeding coyotes, including coyote pups can be very problematic — and an experienced wildlife rehabilitator in your area would be able to give you some suggestions about this. Feeding wildlife is a very kind and well-intended gesture, but sometimes there are unfortunate consequences such as making the young animal too habituated to people, which might endanger their life in the future. No one who is far away and not familiar with the circumstances can really give good advice about this, as the circumstances may differ, but if you get to know a wildlife rehabilitator in your area who you know well and trust, that person could be helpful in knowing what is best for the animals. I hope you will find this helpful! All the best…
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Thank you, Sharon, I never heard of a wildlife rehabilitator before and will look into that. I do worry about making the animals too dependent on us. We’ve been in a drought for a while now, and it gets harder for them to find food and water. But my husband and I don’t want to see the wildlife die out, either. Maybe that’s foolish, and we should just let nature take its course. But I couldn’t feel good about myself if I did that. Thanks for the information!
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I understand completely. It is a dilemma. Of course you want to help them and do what’s best for them. Coyotes especially are extremely resourceful and can almost always find food and water. Do look for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator near you and make sure he or she is a very knowledgeable person that you can trust, then you can rely on them for all kinds of advice. Thank you for caring about wildlife.
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Beautiful pictures. You are brave. Love it!!!
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Thank you!
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Hello Dawn! The coyotes look very healthy here. For me, coyotes always look to be sick malnourished dogs. Nice share.
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Thank you!
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That’s a beautiful start to the day, lovely✨
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It really is! Thank you, Cherryl!
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