The Trickster

 

Coyotes are the ultimate survivors. Hunted and trapped wherever they are found, coyotes persevere through cleverness and family loyalty. They are among the last large predators found in suburbia.

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Now here is a rare sight — a coyote at rest. These perpetual motion machines rarely stop for anything on their never-ending hunt for food. But this coyote sat patiently surveying a valley at Cades Cove after eating some fruit under a tree. Coyotes are omnivores.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. A white-tailed deer follows a coyote as it crosses a meadow in Cades Cove. The deer wanted to make sure the coyote didn't circle back and try to flank the herd.

I saw a distant coyote hunting the open grasslands of the Lamar Valley, so I found one of the few pullouts to park and hiked a half-mile back to a little overlook next to the road to watch, hoping the coyote might venture closer. And after about an hour of patient waiting, the coyote finally got within range of my 600 long lens. Just then a voice behind me screamed, "You're too close to the coyote!" Of course, I buried him deep. So deep.

A beautiful coyote hunts voles and mice in the tall grass at Point Reyes National Seashore. 

I took a trip last April to Yellowstone to look for wolves, but they never got close enough to photograph. I had better luck with this busy coyote.

A coyote hunts the scrub of Denali National Park. Coyotes have even made a home in one of the coldest places on Earth.

Coyotes can take prey as big as an elk, but spend most of their time hunting mice and voles in the tall grass. They have sensitive ears that allow them to hear the slightest rustle in the grass.