And I do mean “freshly”. He caught the duck maybe five seconds before this photo was taken, even though he had a broken left rear leg.
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Early yesterday morning this coyote was in deep shade when ‘he’ captured and killed the duck so many of my photos were soft but this one is sharp enough. Here he had turned toward me only seconds after he caught the shoveler at the shoreline. I don’t believe he even got his feet very wet. If he did it was only some of his toes.
I was highly impressed by how fast and efficiently he killed the duck. One second she was struggling and the next second she was obviously dead. If you’ve gotta go that’s the way to go.
His left rear leg was badly injured (I’m almost sure it was broken) but he had no trouble catching the duck, none at all. And it wasn’t because the duck was injured or unhealthy. I’m quite confident of that, for reasons I hope to document and explain in in a subsequent post. Here his injured leg is mostly hidden by a front leg but the severe swelling near his hock (ankle) can be clearly seen. He never put any significant weight on that leg that I saw, although occasionally he did allow it to touch the ground.
I took over 1000 photos yesterday, most of them of coyotes, but I haven’t yet had the opportunity to go through them carefully. Many of them were taken in shade with resulting softness issues so culling them to see which ones are worth keeping is going to take some time. But eventually I hope to post documentation of a very interesting coyote hunting strategy that I’d never observed in the past.
At least I believe it’s a deliberate hunting strategy. We’ll see what my readers think about that.
Ron
This shot defines Nature, warts and all. As always, I feel bad for the prey animal, although glad she died quickly. Seeing a bit of that swollen hock, I also feel bad for the coyote and wish there was a way to capture, cast, and rehab. I’ve fostered several animals who were victims of pretty terrible injuries and abuse and I always marvel at how resilient they are, physically, behaviorally, and socially.
Marty, It’s pretty hard not to have empathy for the coyote. I know I sure do but at least he isn’t starving, for the moment anyway.
One feels a twinge of sadness at the Shoveler’s demise, while also a reminder of how we are insulated from the constant threats to, and necessities of survival, in the wild. Still, I find your documentation of these things a daily class I look forward to attending, due to your educational commentary and integrity as evidenced by your body of work.
I hate cliffhangers; it better be good.😉
No guarantees on how “good” it’ll be, Lyle. I still haven’t reviewed my photos carefully. But I know what I observed so at least I’ll report that.
Sad/happy as usual…when something catches a meal and sorthing dies forit…
Patty, in situations like this I often have similar thoughts.
Ron, I was curious about this statement “I took over 1000 photos yesterday, most of them of coyotes.” In previous posts I thought you had mentioned that the population of coyotes had decreased significantly (maybe a different area). So I was kind of wondering if you were seeing a population rebound. In any event, we are seeing more and more of them in the northwest, and they seem to be getting bolder by the day in both residential and rural areas. I love it, some don’t though….
BTW, I love the picture. Three legged canines are pretty much as able bodied as 4 it seems.
David, rather than their numbers rebounding I suspect it’s more about the few coyotes still on the island being attracted to this small area by the temporary abundance of very easy food. That’s my guess anyway.
Wally’s right about that look on the coyote’s face — “Wile E.” definitely was suspicious of your motives. Perhaps he’s been robbed of a meal or two before, given his disadvantage. I love the photo — and I wish him well in his struggle for survival against some tough odds out there.
““Wile E.” definitely was suspicious of your motives”
Well, I’m a suspicious looking guy!
Wow. I am very glad that a little thing like a broken leg!!!! didn’t slow it down. Looking forward to your next post. As I always do.
Thanks, EC.
Neat catch for you and the inured coyote. I have been seeing many photos of the coyotes and ducks along the causeway in social media. Yes, I saw the most likely the same coyote with the injured leg Sunday while there. I took photos but the coyotes were far away for my lens. I have seen other photos posted of a coyote with a dangling dead looking back leg. Amazing they can struggle on. I look forward to your series.
April, I couldn’t find that coyote this morning, or any other coyote for that matter. Yesterday I photographed four different coyotes. Feast or famine…
Looks like s/he is saying “Mine! Mine, mine, mine! Don’t even think about it!”
He might have been…
Very nice. I’ve tried for the coyotes feeding on the shovelers but thus far they have succeeded in avoiding me!
Geoff, this morning they avoided me too. I just got lucky yesterday.
Fantastic photograph, Ron!
I’ve seen that look before. The coyote giving you that stare to determine if you might be a threat to take away “his” prey.
Observing Nature’s residents going about their daily routine is a humbling experience (at least it is for me). Our own species is not that far removed from that lifestyle.
I agree. I don’t think I’d be up to hunting with a broken limb!
It’d be a tough row to hoe, wouldn’t it Cheryl.
It is for me too, Wally. Compared to most critters we’ve sure got it easy.
Excellent photo of nature at work. A significant percentage of our wildlife go through life with injuries that they just learn to live with while trying to stay alive. Only once did I witness a coyote racing toward the shoreline of one of our lakes to grab a duck. When he saw me he hesitated and that ruined his chances. Hopefully some of those other photos you took will prove to be interesting.
You’re right, Everett. Over the years I’ve seen some very seriously injured coyotes, and bison, on the island that were still surviving. Some for a very long time.
That’s a great pic and I am excited for more and to hear about this strategy. Wildlife species other than birds get far less attention so I am glad of the change in the FP menu for awhile.
Granny Pat, I’m glad you appreciate a little fur thrown in occasionally, instead of a strict diet of feathers.
Can hardly wait for that post!
Terri, keep one thing in mind. Because of shooting in deep shade and resulting soft images I don’t yet know how good my photos will be.
Glad she got breakfast anyway – a hint of that hock shows it IS bad. Hate to see anything injured like that. Looking forward to more in the series! 🙂
We had a coyote navigating on 3 legs one winter that was often in the shelter belt and, since we were feeding outside at the time, probably snagging some dog food.
Thanks, Judy. No question, coyotes are ingenious at finding food.