I've been hearing their calls to the Moon for the last few nights that we've been out. It's the howls of coyotes that I've been hearing. Isabella always cocks her head to one side whenever she hears the howls. I tell her it's the call of the wild and to try to ignore it.
The sounds always come from the distant west. The howls of coyotes sound a little bit different than dog howls. One howl is always answered by others when we hear them. Dogs seem to have deeper voices than coyotes. Whenever I hear those coyote howls I stay extra watchful when I'm at the edges of the darker areas out there, and I make sure the sounds I hear are only in the distance. That way our nighttime walks stay reasonably safe.
It would be a great adventure for me to get a picture of a coyote, but predators like these are something to stay away from, especially out there alone. Predators of any kind are the animals that first inspired tales of monsters, and I do not want to come face to face with a monster in the night. That's for someone more experienced.
But it's a thrilling idea. Isabella hears the call of the wild, and she doesn't like it at all. It always makes her more alert, but also very concerned. She always gives me a worried look when those howls come out of the night. I think I'll always be sure to take her advice to stay on guard.
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You're brave to go out there in that darkness. I'm with Isabella, not liking those calls of the wild that much :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have the dog with you Ratty. But it would be exciting for you to get a picture of whatever is out there in the dark. Sometimes that's all I get is the eyes shining..LOL You'll get lucky one of these days. Take care.
ReplyDeleteCoyotes are dangerous predators, and yeah its better to stay away from those creatures. But for the adventures sake you could probably get into the woods sometime morning to trace its footprints. As thrilling as it sounds these kinda adventures need a little bit of watchfullness along with some safety tools around.
ReplyDeleteI like being out at night! I'll be interested in whatever you bring us.
ReplyDeletewe don't hear anything like that at night here. I think it would be a little scary
ReplyDeleteI hope Isabella is a pretty big dog because those coyotes will come get the little guys right out from under you. Best to be really careful and stay close to home when they are out. EEEK!
ReplyDelete@Icy BC
ReplyDeleteHaving Isabella with me makes me brave. The calls are always far away.
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@Ginnymo
I always love your night pictures. Yours are what I aspire to one day come close to.
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@Elvirah
I may never see a coyote out here. There are not many trees close by here away from my own property. They'll see me from far away and then leave.
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@Sharkbytes
I think I'll begin my experiment tonight. I'm glad you reminded me because my injured brain forgot all about it after only one day.
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@Ann
The sounds can be a little scary at times, but they are almost always far away. I do hear other animal sounds coming from the nearby darkness, and I stay away from those.
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@Lin
Isabella is half Great Dane. She's not quite as big as those dogs, but she's at least as big as some of the biggest coyotes. I don't think the coyotes enter my little town because there are lots of feral cats here that go untouched.
i would love to be out in the night too, i love the sparkling stars, and the sound.
ReplyDelete@betchai
ReplyDeleteLooking at the stars is my favorite part of the night.
Sometimes I hear a pack of those coyotes yipping and howling late at night. It gives me the creeps, especially since they eat cats.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a tripod or a flat, stable surface you can place your camera on? You could use a long exposure on your camera, like maybe even a few seconds, with no flash, and you might capture some interesting night shots. My human knew a photographer once who photographed the night sky for VERY long exposures - the stars were streaks across the sky!
I like to think of coyote howls as singing. A couple of places we have lived we heard them often as they called and sang to each other. We also had the opportunity to watch them hunt mice in a field, it was fascinating. On two occasions I have encounter a single coyote but in the daytime. Both times they were far more startled by the encounter than I, they simply ran away.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they would be more interested in Isabella than you Ratty. Most predators will steer clear of humans if they pick up their scent. But anytime you are out at night make enough noise so as not to surprise a wild animal.
@Sparkle
ReplyDeleteYou definitely don't want to be out there with them. I'm glad you're an inside cat.
I don't have a tripod, but maybe I'll get one so I can take your advise aboutthe pictures that might be fun.
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@SquirrelQueen
I agree that in most cases they'd run away. They don't really come into my little town anyway. Their singing comes from somewhere in the distance across the highwway where there is only empty land.
Noise will often frighten away most animals, I agree, but I usually stay a little quieter so I can get closer to the animals, even at night. I'm not worried about them coming very close.
I would prefer that you and Isabella keep the coyotes at a distance. I imagine she gets a bit jittery when they come closer. I know we have them in parts of CA and, occasionally, mountain lions are spotted by joggers quite close to even urban areas. Not good.
ReplyDelete@RNSANE
DeleteI'm not too afraid of the coyotes. They make Isabella nervous, but I think she could hold her own against one of them. She's half Great Dane, a pretty good sized dog. I think mountain lions would scare me though.
I find it incredibly annoying how my eyes see much more than the camera picks up...nighttime is always so full of such wonderful wildlife that can be missed...I love the solitude and silence that the dark can offer us...I find it very peaceful but I agree that having a companion like Isabella around who has much better instincts is always a good thing.
ReplyDelete@allotments4you
DeleteI've been wishing for a long time that my camera could see some of the things I get to see at night. It would be so much easier right now because nighttime has been the only time that I havn't been too busy to get out and take pictures.