In case you are having trouble interpreting this photo, it is a coyote scat composed of bone fragments plus a chewed up tennis ball. It is composed of hair and bone fragments. Here is a typical coyote scat, deposited on one of Mayslake’s mowed fire breaks. My positive impression of the Mayslake coyotes was tempered, however, by something I had seen a couple days prior to my surprising the animal in the meadow. That was notable, because throughout this severe winter I heard many accounts, and saw examples myself, of coyotes around the county who were in poor health and suffering from mange. The vitality of this animal and its mate were evident in their tracks all through the winter, and confirmed by reports from people who saw them. It looked healthy, and that impression was confirmed when it immediately reacted to the first click of my camera’s shutter from more than 50 yards away and headed for cover. It was nosing after voles in one of the meadows. I finally saw one of the Mayslake coyotes last week. During a night hike in September 1996 at Hidden Lake, a siren set off a probable family group of 4 individuals, and for the rest of the evening the scattered coyotes howled at regular intervals, producing the contact call effect. Their howling, which I have heard at Pratts Wayne Woods, Hidden Lake, Lincoln Marsh and Fermilab, is extremely high-pitched and wailing in quality, and I have heard several animals howling together or howling back and forth in contact call style but not a single individual howling alone. I saw a coyote crossing Kirk Road in Kane County at dusk one summer evening. Hair the most common dominant food remains in the scats, occasionally feathers or skins of fruits dominate. They often deposit feces in the center of the nature trail, occasionally in other clear areas or smaller trails. I saw two different individuals one morning in winter of 1997-98, one missing all but a stub of its tail and so easy to recognize. The common pattern has been for signs to be abundant for several weeks, then absent for several weeks, in alternation through the warm months, with 2 coyotes taking up steady residence on the preserve through the winter. At that time coyote sign returned and have been frequent for more than two years, now. A red fox came in that winter, lasted a year, then it left. Then the coyote vanished, after it was seen several times apparently weakened by mange. One appeared at Willowbrook frequently around 1994-96, after the fox there was gone. Tracks frequently encountered on the preserves, and in absence usually of fox sign until the past couple of years. During the 90’s, coyotes have become much more abundant in the western suburbs. A coyote made a remarkable vertical 4-foot jump out of the creek at Willowbrook, having crossed to the point where the Safari Trail meets the stream at the high bank. Here a pair of coyotes traveled together, then one veered off.Ģ6FE99. Lots of activity possibly by one individual, with lots of coming and going (small loops out and back), centering on a rotten goose egg, frozen in ice and apparently opened last night. Coyote diagonal walk on ice 19-21.5 inches between steps. Stopped and removed 2 burdock burs (some hairs still were attached). Rolled in small amount of its urine on ice of marsh. A coyote picked up an old, small dead snake and played with it. Prints’ actual size 2.25 long x 2 wide, 22-24 inches between corresponding track in each pair. Foxes were common there before have coyotes driven them off? Trot the most common gait, in the diagonal position. Fox tracks were absent from the wide area I walked in north Blackwell. The coyotes’ activity was mainly on and around the frozen ponds. Tracking coyotes in the half inch of snow that fell last night on the McKee Marsh area. After I got around the bend I got a glimpse of movement to the right as it leaped through a tall grass meadow and ran into the forest.ġ9NO89. It held still only a couple seconds, then turned and ran. Big ears, light build and size gave it away immediately. It stopped briefly as it came around a bend in the mowed trail and saw me coming toward it. A computer rendition of the original sketch.Ģ9JE89.
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