Hiking through the Joppa Preserve one afternoon, we spotted a pair of Coyotes dart across the trail far up in front of us. They paused just long enough for us all to have a good look at each other, and then the Coyotes dashed into the woods and disappeared. I was too slow on the draw with my camera and missed my chance for what would have been a nice set of pictures—or so I thought!
As we approached the spot where the Coyotes had ditched off the trail it became obvious that the thickness of the brush here was mostly and illusion. Just a thin strip of trees and privets separated the trail from an open meadow. We decided to poke our head through for a quick look.
There on the other side we found the Coyotes out in the open and already over any concern they might have felt about seeing us on the trail. Of course, they were quick to notice our new intrusion, and they rushed to exit the scene once again—but not before I was able to get a few nice pictures of the pair.
The first picture in this series is of the female Coyote. She wasted little time making her retreat.
The male took a little longer to notice us, but when he did, he followed after the female at a respectable trot. Of note in the pictures of the male is an apparent injury to the Coyote’s left front shoulder. It looks as if it is streaked with blood.
Great photos and great time!
Yep! When I say “we” in this article, the other person I am talking about is Ben. We had a big day that day. Started out surveying the fish population in Five Mile Creek with a Biologist and a Dallas historian. We finished the day exploring in the Joppa Preserve. Nearly ten hours in the Dallas urban wilderness!
You can read more about the Five Mile Creek Survey in this article on Ben’s web site: http://dallastrinitytrails.blogspot.com/2013/07/painted-buntings-at-mouth-of-five-mile.html
The section your looking for is towards the bottom and is titled “Up a Creek”. The rest of the article is a must read as well, so do yourself a favor and start at the top!