In Lake Barrington we have had snow on the ground now for almost a month a with another 8 to 12 inches due tomorrow the local Coyotes are hunting a little harder. The back of my property in Savannah Trail backs up to conservation area and Flint Creek. The subdivision has only been here 9 years, prior to that is was literally a Savannah of grass. It has taken a while for wildlife to come to the back door but as our trees and landscaping matures every year we see more.
Just 2 days ago whilst munching on my own breakfast I spotted a Coyote in my neighbors yard and apparently it was his breakfast time too. I stopped to look as my neighbor has a dog and I wanted to be sure he was OK. In fact he wasn't out so the Coyotes were free to hunt.
He looked very calm but no doubt was all ears! He moved away from my house a little and stood still again. And then pounce, he attacked what he could hear under the snow.
Strike one - you can just see he is eating his breakfast. It appeared to me to be a vole.
Shortly after that kill, he made another. Once he had finished he sauntered off, with 2 more Coyotes following him. It is usual to hear these guys howl at night, and often in the evening in the summer you'll spot them running through the conservation behind Savannah and even come through the subdivision. This is the closest I have seen them to the houses in daylight, even though we were still in the break of dawn.
I guess they were here before these homes were!
