Monday, July 28, 2008

The Call of the Wild

Since we moved to the edge of the woods, I've seen possums, raccoons, turkeys, copperheads, foxes, and owls. Of course, deer are everywhere. We also caught a skunk in an trap meant for feral cats and have survived a monumental skunk attack on our house.

Now, I can add coyotes to my list of backyard wildlife. One of the critters appeared at the edge of the woods at about 1:00 this afternoon. It was relatively long-legged and rangy looking with gray and yellow fur and a Red Riding Hood snout. The coyote looked bigger than my 50 pound dog, but coyotes are supposed to have a thin bone structure that makes them weigh less than they look.

When the coyote saw me, it trotted off without looking particularly scared of human beings. But maybe it was just me.

I imagine it was looking for an easy lunchtime treat. One of our neighbors said that a coyote was carrying a pet cat in its mouth before it was forced to drop it.

Personally, I think the possums look better this time of year.

2 comments:

a said...

Geez, we leave the neighborhood, and all hell breaks loose.

- Amanda M.

Ric Caric said...

How are you Amanda? We still haven't quite reconciled ourselves to you and Jason leaving. We'd not only like to share the coyote, but the visiting schizophrenic as well. Say hello to everybody!