Coyote

Coyote -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA
Canon Powershot SX40 HS

This picture almost looks like a painting, doesn't it?  There aren't any effects on this shot, this is just what the camera did in this case.  I think I like it.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 181, image #7362.

Coyote on the Cliff

Coyote -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5,6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO: 800

This photo has its problems.  It's back lit.  It's not particularly sharp.  The colors aren't all that interesting.  Still, it's a photo I really like.  I think it captures the spirit of this coyote well.  Not in a spiritual sense but in a sense of energy and composure.

As a dog lover, I find myself drawn to coyotes.  I suspect I'd be drawn to wolves too if I'd had more than one distant encounter.  It saddens me to think that coyotes are thought of as "garbage" animals.  They're intelligent and they're survivors.  I wish everyone could see them as special creatures.

Coyote

Coyote -- Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/5.6, 1/2000s, ISO: 2000

The elk reserve at Point Reyes is the best place I know of to see coyotes in the wild.  Like the elk on the reserve, the coyotes seem to be used to the constant presence of hikers on the trail.  They don't seem to associate people with food like some of the coyotes I've encountered at the national parks nor do they seem to be particularly wary of people.  I imagine the ranchers on the Point don't particularly care for them, but I certainly do.

Coyote in the Meadow

Coyote -- Pinnacles National Park, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm IS II, 1/1600s, f5.6, ISO: 640

As Pongo and I were leaving Pinnacles National Park this weekend I was lamenting to him how we'd never seen a coyote during any of our visits.  We heard one while camping once, but that was the closest we had come.  Within a minute of my uttering of those words we saw this coyote in the big meadow near the entrance of the park.

This coyote was skittish.  I pulled over when I saw him and had to get out of the car to get to my camera which I'd packed away for the drive home.  When he saw me get out of the car he moved out across the meadow, putting a good deal of distance between us in a very short time.  Although it cost me any shot at a good picture, I was OK with that given their status as undesirable animals in most rural areas of the US.  Personally, I'm a fan, but a lot of folks would like to see then exterminated.