A Safe Haven
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The hillside below where I live… perfect coyote country.
When I work with my laptop by the windows at the rear of my house, looking out at my back garden, I have been spotting a young male coyote about twice a day. He ambles up the steep granite rock face that makes up most of my garden. Sometimes he notices me. I know not to allow him to think humans are safe. But I also want him to know that my garden is a safe haven for him; ground squirrels have been digging under my desert plants and eating the roots, and anyone who can scare them off is a welcome friend.
He often lazes in the sun. Occasionally we'll lock eyes, although he prefers not to be in direct view. There is something amazing about looking into the eyes of an animal that has never been captive, from an unbroken line of animals who have also never been captive. The feeling is so different from seeing an animal in a zoo, or meeting a domesticated dog. He is free.
Some friends have asked if I could take a photo of him. But our interactions are so fleeting, I have preferred just to look, then give him privacy and not startle him.
The other day I climbed up the rock then crawled under my wooden deck, to pull out the very last of the grassy weeds which have been clinging on in the shade despite the summer heat. Unexpectedly, I heard a light scrabble and the coyote got to his feet from the secluded spot he'd found. I felt bad for disturbing him. He trotted away along the hillside, looking back at me to see if I was following, but also with a little bit of reproach. He moved fast enough that I would not be able to give chase had I been a threat, but slow enough to show he wasn't too bothered. I apologized.
I checked out his spot after he left - easy to identify from the little clumps of fur left behind, and trampled-down grass bed. It is surrounded by rock on three sides, with a view straight downhill so he can safely watch his exit without easily being seen in the shade.
Now the garden is finished for the season, I'll do my best not to disturb his secluded sleeping spot.