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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Nature's beauty and coyote behavior

It's a rare phase in my life when I don't even bother to look at all of the photos that I've taken recently - but that's what has happened over the past week. Just today, I opened the photos from the day that we found out the recent bad news about K.

What an absolutely gorgeous world. I started my mountain bike ride that morning in the dark, before sunrise. As I rode, the eastern sky lit up. What incredible beauty!
Soon after that, the sun crested the eastern hills, and I turned off my powerful helmet-mounted light.
That morning, I did an extremely early morning ride by myself, before returning home to pick up K for a short jaunt after the world was light. It was a glorious day in the mountains.

Shortly after our bike rides, we headed to Colorado State Vet School for K's appointment. Despite our reason for going down to the flatlands, I enjoyed seeing the burst of springtime that adorned every corner of the lower-elevation world. I took this photo while K was in the hospital getting xrays taken.
Sometimes, I find it incredible that the natural world can still be so beautiful no matter what ugly things are going on in our lives.

Recently, the Duo and I have been enjoying our sunset hikes. The angle of the sun as it sets at this time of year paints our world with an incredible warm glow. I like getting photos of the Duo together but R doesn't believe in looking even remotely in the direction of the camera.

Do you think that R can stretch any further upward without levitating?
K heard me trying to convince R to pay just a little attention to me, and she shot me a glance. Her look seemed to say "Little Brothers!" with great exasperation.

Often, on our evening hike, we'll check a trail camera along the way. As my longtime readers know, I am fascinated with wildlife behavior. I use "trail cameras", which are triggered by motion, to capture photos of the animals going through their normal routines. I have a bobcat story that I'll save for tomorrow. Today it's the coyotes.

We have a breeding pair who walk past our house regularly. This is the female.
And, this is the male. He's the one with the injury to his face, below his left eye. He's now had the injury for more than a month, and it doesn't look worse - which I think is good news. It shows up as a dark patch under his left eye.
Near the coyote "normal route", a rabbit has triggered my camera on many occasions.
You can probably guess the next event... The poor bunny became a coyote meal. I found myself wondering if this was the male or female coyote (I can only tell based on the facial injury to the male) and whether the pair share a meal like this one. I wish that I could have seen what happened next.
Gulp. I just realized that this carnage occurred on Easter Sunday. I sure hope that wasn't the Easter Bunny.

I've also been capturing photos of the "single" coyotes who are also part of the pack. This guy looks young to me. He'll probably help raise the coyote pups that the breeding pair will deliver sometime in the next month or so. He'll "help" by bringing food to the mother when she's nursing. Later, when the pups are bigger, he'll babysit when the mother goes out hunting. He looks cute and very fuzzy in this photo.
It's so nice to see our world coming to life again after months of very little wildlife activity. There's another snowstorm on the horizon so the animals need to make hay now!

21 comments:

  1. The photo with R stretching upwards is wonderful. I am however just fascinated with the rabbit shot followed by the rabbit dinner photo.
    We are thinking of you often, with Fridays being our special day for you.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  2. Hi KB
    Do you hear the birds chirp their morning songs when you ride before the sun comes up? Does it sound like the world is awakening? Oh I think it would be so magical to experience all that you see. And your not afraid to be out in the dark!
    Those coyotes are beautiful. No that bunny was not the Easter Bunny because the Easter Bunny was at my house.
    I did not know that the teenage coyotes help bring food to the family. That is very amazing.
    I did hear snowflakes are on their way to your world!
    These photos you shared are beautiful
    love
    tweedles

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  3. You sure do have a blog worth looking at
    Benny & Lily

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  4. The cycle of life is awesomel beauitful and even at its harshest (poor bunny) has a power that feeds the soul.

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  5. Hi KB, wonderful photos once again. We love seeing your wildlife. We love the first photo of R and K. Even though R isn't looking at the camera it's a fabulous shot. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

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  6. I know how tough it is...
    Hang in there.
    Sending lotsaluv from South Africa and lotsahugs to your special duo.
    Keep blogging and keep positive.
    C

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  7. You have two of the best photographed dogs ever! You really captured their beauty and personalities perfectly.

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  8. That look on K's face is priceless.
    R is drinking in your beautiful
    environment.
    I'm tempted to say poor bunny but the coyote need to eat and that's nature. It wasn't the Easter bunny :-)

    Eileen and Annie xx

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  9. Great sunrise pictures!! I wish I could join you on your hikes and see this beautiful landscape....
    K and R are so qute together.
    Wow , to get that documented on camera when the coyote eats a bunny...great! Thats nature!! Hugs from us to you all!

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  10. You always have the most gorgeous photos - just beautiful!

    Love ya lots,
    Mitch

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  11. Well since I only gots 2 beers from da Easter Bunny...coyotes has to eat. Oooooh I is bad dog! But, it is fascinating to be ables to watch wildlife do their thing snd especially since udder than your blog...we would nevers get to see all this.

    We are always thinkin' of you and K and da rest of your family. I hope dat on them days you is down we can uplift you and make you smile.

    Puddles

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  12. Oh no! Not the Easter Bunny!!

    Such beautiful pictures of the duo. So great to see them enjoying life!

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle

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  13. I don't see a little basket filled w/ grass and eggs, so I'm guess it wasn't the Easter Bun!!! :)

    The wonderful thing about nature, it is always waiting to share beauty, when we need it most!
    xoxo

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  14. No matter what's going on in our lives, the world really does keep going around doesn't it! Great shots of nature for sure but obviously the best ones are of R and K! Brothers! Can't live with them, can't live without them! LOL!

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  15. Once again...such beautiful pictures. We never get to see wildlife like this except maybe at the zoo.

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  16. Great photographs (as always). Interesting about the young coyote helping the new mom. I had no idea. My first thought when I saw the rabbit was, "This is no place for you!" The next photograph confirmed it.

    I think your coyotes are larger than ours. And certainly more stocky. Ours are smaller and leaner but they are just as effective at bunny hunting. We find the evidence all the time.

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  17. Awesome photos. We just love sharing the beauty of your world through your posts. Hugs to you and K from all of us. We are thinking of you.

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  18. Hi Y'all,

    K looks so mature and disgusted with R!

    Beautiful pictures. Love it when the sunrises like flames!

    Y'all come back now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  19. Woof! Woof! As always LOVE the photos. Here in my new home I see lots of goats. Lots of Golden ALOHA n Woofs, Sugar

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