coyote pup

Across the field from where I was birding with friends was an animal that we thought was a deer at first.  Putting bins on it, we realized we were seeing an adult coyote running along the woods with a young pup running behind.  I know that the farmers in our area would not be happy to hear of coyotes proliferating in the neighborhood, but for us birders it was an unusual and exciting sight!  A little later after my friends left, I drove on down the dirt road and saw a pup on each side of the road.  One was digging in the corn field, looking for something to eat.  He seemed oblivious to my presence in the car, and came towards me.  The other pup had something big in its mouth, and took off running with it when I aimed my camera at him.  He dropped it and loped to the edge of the field, looking longingly back at his prize.  He sat and watched me for a few minutes, came halfway towards me and the dead animal, then thought better of it when my dog barked from the back of the car.  There are times when I really wished I had left Mazie at home!

More information about the coyote can be found here: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=598430&mode=2 and here: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/coyote/