Where I live in Southern California, we’re lucky to have an abundance of wildlife in our local area. On a daily basis we see everything from squirrels and rabbits to bears and bobcats. Over the past year, we’ve had an increase in the number of coyotes that have been around our apartment. In particular, there is a pack of 5 coyotes that tends to swing by about once a month and then a solo male coyote that has made his home just north of us in a small ravine. The solo coyote is a bit skittish but is interesting to observe when we see it. Recently, I was able to take a few pictures of the coyote before he made his way up the hill.
It's been on the warmer side out in California, so the coyote tends to find some shade and relax. Once he saw me (I was around 30 yards away), he sat up and took notice.
Once he turned his head, I was surprised to see that he appeared to have damage to one of his eyes! A few weeks back when we saw him, he appeared perfectly normal. We’re not sure what happened to him, but our guess is that he had a run in with the pack of coyotes that tends to roam the area (and ended up getting the worse of it).
On the bright side, he seems to be fine in every other way. After a few minutes, he decided to retreat and made his way further up the hill behind some trees.
He’s still surviving back there and recently we noticed that he had a second coyote with him (not sure if male or female). It might be the start of a new pack, but its too early to tell.
Overall, I’m super excited to have the opportunity to observe (from a distance) this coyote over the summer. Nature finds a way to survive and I am sure that this coyote will do the same!