A Rout of Coyotes (Canis latrans)

We usually only hear them at night. One howls out in the darkness and for a moment you think that a child is laughing or screaming, then several more add their yips, yelps, and barks and their calls fill the night, somehow eerie and lonely at the same time.

This morning three coyotes came trotting across our horse field, they were not going to down a horse, but they may have been eying our sheep. These animals are omnivores eating small mammals (mice, voles, rabbits, squirrels, and domestic pets) birds, snakes, deer, livestock, insects, and fruit and vegetables. The part about livestock is why we have a Great Pyrenees – a dog bred to protect sheep and goats from such predators.

There are 19 subspecies of coyote ranging in various sizes, the ones in our area tend to be small, going around 50 pounds. They roam in small single-sexed groups called a band, a pack, or a rout. Since they are primarily nocturnal, it is a rare gift to see one during daylight hours.

The Highwayman's moon

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas,

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding,

The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

From The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes.

Billy Bob

Our farm is full of animals: two horses, five sheep, a couple of cats, and two rabbits. And not just our animals, nooo..., we seem to be a repository. This Christmas I found myself taking care of three extra dogs ... we’ve come to be known as the doggy spa – they love the walks on the farm. We also have a pet cemetery - dogs, cats, rabbits – our friends and family come to us and say “can we bury Spot on your farm?” How could we say no.

Lots of animals, living and dead, but to me there is no more curious character than the bunny Billy Bob. He is an indoor rabbit; a little velveteen bunny that my wife dearly loves ... but I call him “the little monster.” She takes him out of his cage in the morning and the evening and lets him hop around the house. He is - in part - very good, never leaving droppings or making a mess anywhere. Typically, he hops around; bothers the cats, sometimes does sideways jumps and flips when he feels good. But he is a monster ... he likes to bite things, like ankles, rugs (which he digs on first) electrical wires, and baseboards. I guess I should count myself lucky – considering how enthusiastic my wife is about animals - that he is not a miniature pony or a pot-bellied pig!