4 July 2009

The rain has finally stopped, and sleeping in is gladly interrupted once more. With turtle nesting nearly done, I return to my original post. The very moment my camera and tripod are settled a ghostly figure appears on the ridge beside me. With no moon and a cloudy sky it is quite dark, but his white chest gives him away. This is the largest coyote I have seen in some time, and he is gone in a moment.

Whether he saw me or not I'm not sure. I'm nestled up to my chin in shrubbery. It is cool and humid--perfect conditions. The mosquitos have their morning meal, and I watch as the first morning light sets fire to the cottonwood across the trail.

Along comes another...but looks rather strange. I peer through the viewfinder and see that this one has his morning meal: a raccoon dangles from between his jaws. He must be eager to eat, as his pace is very fast. Trotting through the sand straight for me, he never sees me until he is five feet away. He lets out a yelp, drops his breakfast and bolts in the direction that he came from. I can see clearly that this is not an adult raccoon--but one that was born this year. Certainly no bigger than a house cat. His clear eyes look up at me. I feel guilty for interrupting coyote's breakfast--but why he gave it to me I'll never know.