Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Interloper on our land



We own an empty lot just down the road from our house. We have had it since 1992, and visited it many times through the years. It seems kind of strange to now own a home just down the same road. We drive by our lot nearly every day.

Today John was driving to the post office, and there in the road by our property was a coyote. When he saw the truck coming towards him, he moved up into our lot, and John was able to get a few pictures of him.

We hear coyotes frequently in the night, but never see them during the day so this was a bit unusual. I always thought they were nocturnal animals.

John thought the sighting was cool. I am sorry I missed seeing it.

Coyotes are a familiar part of traditional Native American lore. From Wikipedia:

Traditional stories from many Native American nations include a deity whose name is translated into English as "Coyote". Although especially common in stories told by southwestern Native American nations, such as the Diné and Apache, stories about Coyote appear in dozens of Native American nations from Canada to Mexico.

Usually appearing as a trickster, a culture hero or both, Coyote also often appears in creation myths and etiological myths. Although usually appearing in stories as male, Coyote can also be female or even a hermaphrodite, in some traditional Native American stories.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool indeed! We get them around here as well - we've had them cross the road in front of us going to work in the AM and have seen them in the woods behind our house. Always gives me goosebumps to see them.

WasSoggyInSeattle said...

Very, very cool. We see them occasionally at my parents place but haven't seen any here (but hear them sometimes).

DaveG said...

I see them every now and then on the airport, ironically far more often now that they've completed the airport-encompassing "wildlife fence." I thought the point of the fence was to keep the wildlife out, but as with many gov't initiatives the exact opposite seems to be the case.

Buck said...

We don't see too many coyotes (none, actually) down this way. I wish we would... coz the feral cat population is exploding in Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park.

John took some great pics!

Val said...

These are beautiful images! I have never been able to get a picture of a coyote. Really stunning images!