Posts Tagged ‘hunting’

Yosemite Coyotes

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Before we ever got into Yosemite National Park we spotted this coyote perched on top of a mossy rock framed by branches. He seemed so peaceful siting there, he didn’t even seem to mind me watching him. He looked very healthy for a coyote. He looked so fluffy and welcoming, I really would have liked to pet him if he wasn’t a wild animal. So instead I just enjoyed his beauty from a safe distance.

One of the most important parts of doing wildlife photography is respecting the animals I photograph. Some people will do anything to get their shot, even putting themselves in danger for the sake of the shot. Some, which is even worst, put stress on the animal. I always try to not disturb the animal that I am photographing in order to preserve the serene mood of the picture. It is important to remember that it is  a wild animal being photographed and even though it is beautiful or even adorable, it needs to be treated with the utmost caution and respect for its true nature.

When in the park we had more encounters with majestic coyotes. In a meadow out infront of Curry Village there were two or three coyotes wandering around in the snowy, misty meadow searching for food. It was very hard to get a good angle on them because they were constantly moving around the meadow. So when I moved out into the boardwalk they went to the river, and when I went to the river the went back to the boardwalk. Needless to say I was running in circles around the meadow for quite some time trying to get a good shot of at least one of them. Frustrating and tiring but totally worth it.

I got some pictures of a coyote hunting, which I must say is a very funny thing to watch in the snow. They walk around until they hear a sound. Then they slowly inch forward to where they heard the sound. Once there they stand there with their eyes deadlocked on the ground tilting their heads back and forth. They bobble their hed side to side listening to whatever small prey lies beneath the surface of the snow. Then they bring their back legs right up next to their front legs, crouch, and then spring into the air to pounce!

It is so funny watching this hunting technique and I am glad that I got a head on shot of his pounce unlike my time watching a coyote hunting in Yellowstone. I love watching wildlife in its most pristine yet savage moments. Like even this simple act of watching a coyote hunting allows me to have a sneak peek into the vicious cycle that is life. I can’t wait to witness more of this to better understand how this cycle, and our lives work.

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Yellowstone: Feeding Time

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Feeding time is a sacred time in the snowy valleys of Yellowstone in the winter. Here, every chance at a meal is essential to survival. We were lucky enough to watch a coyote hunting around in a small valley.

Just got to say, check out the pink little feet on that vole…

Anyway, we waited around for a long time watching this coyote roaming about when he started to stop and was clearly listening. It was adorable, he would freeze and then cock his head to either side and wait then swivel to the other side. It was amazing to watch this creature hunt.

The take off jump!

It was extremely amusing watching the coyote pouncing in and out of the snow. It reminded me a lot of my dog who does the same exact thing… except to rocks. She has amazing survival skills. Anyways, I digress. I must say I was rooting for the coyote the whole time. It must be so hard just to find a couple of meals a day out here where the snow covers everything. I just wanted him to find some food so he could survive. We all practically cheer when the coyote  snagged something.

He snatched a little vole out of a hole in the snow. He seemed to really be reveling in his victorious catch. He played with it for at least fifteen minutes.

I would also like to mention at this point about how I am getting these shots. Previously I was using a 600 lens, but that was when the coyote was lying down taking a nap. My dad got to use it when the coyote was hunting. …. No I am not jealous 😀 But at this time I was using a 400 lens… minus a tripod. This was extremely difficult because that thing gets heavy after holding it for a while. So I resorted to using a rock and my arm at a 90 degree angle as a tripod. Nifty huh? Still when we left my arm was so dead, but it was worth it.

As mentioned, the coyote was playing with his food like in this picture. He would pick it up, drop it, or spit it out like here. Also in the first picture he was tossing the vole into the air and catching it. It was really amazing to watch, but I did feel bad for the vole.

A moment of silence for the vole.

…. And we’re done. Hey, the coyote deserved to play with his food, even if it was bad manners to play with his food. He worked hard for it. If I worked that hard for my food I would play with it too. Anyways we left the coyote in peace with his prize and moved on with our day. Just another day in a winter wonderland where survival is earned every snow trodden step of the way.

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