Fence-walking coyote puts on a show
In a series of encounters, a coyote has been verified walking fence lines behind homes in Millbrae and then jumping into a backyard.
The coyote is probably looking for food, and yet at times has jumped into the backyard at night and played with a pet dog’s tennis ball, said Jean Brady, who photographed the coyote.
“I have no food in the yard, just a water dish,” Brady said. “I called the Humane Society and they said either make the fence taller or bang pots and pans when you see him. The yard is completely fenced in and there are houses on both sides and behind me.”
Millbrae is across Interstate 280 from the 23,000-acre Crystal Springs Watershed (and San Andreas Lake), designated as a state wildlife refuge.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife has verified a series of encounters in which wildlife, most often deer, have strayed from Crystal Springs across I-280, creating a traffic hazard, and into residential areas.
The story of a vagabond coyote walking the fence lines of suburban backyards was first reported by an anonymous email last month. Without photographic evidence and a name to put to the story, it seemed difficult to believe.
Then, with a security cam in her backyard, Brady photographed the nomadic coyote on the fence line at midday and at night watched the coyote playing with tennis balls in her backyard. The first episode was six weeks ago.
“It’s been hanging out in my backyard, every day and night,” Brady said. “I have a 50-pound dog, and when the dog is in the yard, the coyote leaves. As soon as the dog comes back in the house, the coyote returns.”
By watching the video from the security camera, which is faint and grainy in the night scenes, Brady can verify how often the coyote visits her backyard.
“He comes at least five to 10 times per day and night,” she said. “Last night, he was here five different times, staying anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, just playing with the tennis balls and rolling on the lawn.”
Her dog, Sophie, is a 12-yearold Lab mix, quite a bit larger than the coyote, Brady said. “When she is in the house and sees the coyote, Sophie goes crazy barking. As soon as I let Sophie out, the coyote jumps the fence. Within minutes of Sophie coming back in the house, the coyote is back. They have never had an encounter.”
Rare white squirrel: A white squirrel, another wildlife anomaly, was sighted and verified in a photograph by Brian Beard in San Anselmo. This squirrel is not an albino, which has red eyes, but a rare genetic variation that can turn up in wildlife. “I have seen the white squirrel on two additional days,” he said. The squirrel was sighted in a residential area set in oak woodlands, which have drawn in other wildlife, including bobcats and coyotes, many times, Beard said.
How Darwin works: In the foothills of Mount Diablo last week, field scout Brian Murphy sighted a Canada goose trying to put a nest back together after predators had raided it. “You could see a broken white egg,” Murphy said. “I think the predators will continue to enjoy the eggs she's laying every day. Eventually, the coyotes might enjoy her as a meal. Her genes, what drove her to choose a poor nest location, will not be around to pass along to goslings. I'll keep an eye on this until I see a pile of goose feathers in the vicinity.”
Outdoor notes
Salt test: Along Carquinez Strait in Benicia, Richard Degraffenreid was out for a walk with his springer spaniel, Cedar, when he noticed his dog drinking the water. So he tried it, too. “For the first time in 32 years that we’ve lived here, that water tasted fresh. Not as good as Almanor or Tahoe, but fresh all the same.” Berry Creek Falls: The downed trees and closures of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail and Sunset Trail have meant no access to Berry Creek Falls at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz County. Gary Flint asked about the possibility of accessing Berry Creek Falls instead from Rancho el Oso at Highway 1. Because of a river crossing of Waddell Creek, that route is also a no-go until the creek flows drop and temporary summer bridges are put in, usually around the end of April or early May. Snowshoes and eagles: “We took advantage of your snowshoe advice at D.L. Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe and it was spectacular,” Phil Brochard writes. “We had the park to ourselves. When we got close to a bluff, we saw a pair of bald eagles circling overhead, making their way slowly up the shore.” Yellowstone grizzlies: A story in the Cody (Wyo.) Enterprise was forwarded to me, in which Lew Freedman reported that the first grizzly bear sightings of the year occurred last week near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, as the first signs of spring arrive in the Rockies.