Essex on Lake Champlain
\"Essex
  • About
    • Essex, New York (Town)
      • Essex Maps
      • Essex, New York Weather
      • Town of Essex Government
      • Close
    • Essex on Lake Champlain (Blog)
      • Contributors
      • Sponsors
      • Testimonials
      • Get Involved
      • Close
    • Close
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Calendar
    • Add an Event
    • Upcoming Events
    • Close
  • Essex on Lake Champlain
  • Connect
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Google +
      • Pinterest
      • YouTube
      • Flickr
    • Newsletters
    • GET INVOLVED
    • CONTACT
        • Your Name (required)

          Your Email (required)

          Subject (required)

          Your Message

      • Close
    • Shop
    • Search
        • Search
          • Close
        • Categories
            • Agriculture (521)
            • Architecture (76)
            • Arts (369)
            • Business (122)
            • Daily Doodle (62)
            • Dining (151)
            • Doodle Quotes (5)
            • Doodlebomb (3)
            • Education (299)
            • Entertainment (381)
            • Environment (28)
            • Essex Doodles (62)
            • Events (1741)
            • Exercise (55)
            • Government (247)
            • Health & Wellness (142)
            • Heritage (398)
            • History (187)
            • Hyperlocal (30)
            • Landscape (35)
            • Lifestyle (197)
            • Lodging (16)
            • Music (284)
            • Nature (264)
            • News (1251)
            • Nightlife (18)
            • Obituary (9)
            • Opinion (45)
            • Outdoors (180)
            • People (117)
            • Philanthropy (92)
            • Real Estate (3)
            • Recreation (224)
            • Resources (7)
            • Services (7)
            • Shopping (96)
            • Sports (23)
            • Transportation (71)
            • Worship (17)
          • Close
        • Archives
            • June 2018 (21)
            • May 2018 (30)
            • April 2018 (28)
            • March 2018 (30)
            • February 2018 (31)
            • January 2018 (26)
            • December 2017 (23)
            • November 2017 (25)
            • October 2017 (22)
            • September 2017 (32)
            • August 2017 (35)
            • July 2017 (30)
            • June 2017 (30)
            • May 2017 (35)
            • April 2017 (31)
            • March 2017 (33)
            • February 2017 (30)
            • January 2017 (35)
            • December 2016 (30)
            • November 2016 (37)
            • October 2016 (43)
            • September 2016 (53)
            • August 2016 (49)
            • July 2016 (59)
            • June 2016 (70)
            • May 2016 (57)
            • April 2016 (64)
            • March 2016 (69)
            • February 2016 (56)
            • January 2016 (46)
            • December 2015 (39)
            • November 2015 (43)
            • October 2015 (61)
            • September 2015 (57)
            • August 2015 (61)
            • July 2015 (54)
            • June 2015 (41)
            • May 2015 (67)
            • April 2015 (66)
            • March 2015 (72)
          • Load More
          • Close
        • Contact us
          • CONTACT US

              Your Name (required)

              Your Email (required)

              Subject (required)

              Your Message

            • Close
        • Close
      • Log In
        • Log Into Calendar
        • Log Into Blog
        • Close
      • Skip to primary navigation
      • Skip to main content
      • Skip to primary sidebar
      • Skip to footer

      Essex on Lake Champlain

      Essex, New York Community Blog Since 2011

      • Lifestyle
        • Agriculture
          • CSAs in Essex, NY
            • Essex Farm
            • Full and By Farm
          • Farmstead Catering
          • The Hub on the Hill
          • Reber Rock Farm
        • Outdoors
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Entertainment
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
        • Arts
          • Adirondack Art Association
          • Essex Community Concerts
          • Champlain Valley Film Series
          • Essex Poetry Open Mic
        • Music
          • Essex Community Concerts
        • Shopping
        • Recreation
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Health & Wellness
          • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • Nature
          • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • Education
          • CFES Brilliant Pathways
          • Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center
        • Nightlife
        • Worship
      • Events
        • Christmas in Essex
        • Downtown Essex Day
        • Fourth of July in Essex, NY
      • Dining
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Old Dock Restaurant
        • The Pink Pig Cafe
      • Lodging
        • Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
      • Transportation
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
      • Heritage
        • Architecture
          • Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler’s Field Guide
        • Historic Essex
        • History
        • People
        • Government
          • Essex Post Office
          • Town of Essex Government
        • Vintage Essex Trivia
        • Vintage Essex Artifacts
        • Essex Town Historian
      • Directory
        • Adirondack Art Association
        • Champlain Area Trails (CATS)
        • CFES Brilliant Pathways
        • The Cupola House and Cottage
        • Essex-Charlotte Ferry
        • Essex Farm
        • Essex Ice Cream Cafe
        • Essex Initiatives
        • Essex Post Office
        • Farmstead Catering
        • Full and By Farm
        • Historic Essex
        • Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness
        • Pedal Power
        • Reber Rock Farm
        • The Hub on the Hill
        • Town of Essex Government
        • Whallonsburg Grange Hall
      • Show Search
      Hide Search
      You are here: Home / Nature / Coyote Capers

      Coyote Capers

      January 26, 2013 By Kevin Cooper 6 Comments

      Coyote Capers #2 (Credit: Kevin Cooper)
      Coyote Capers #2 (Credit: Kevin Cooper)

      Have you noticed more wildlife venturing into town over the years? I have. Foxes, jet black squirrels (they bring good luck), bears, porcupines, turkey, beaver, even rattlesnakes are now seen with regularity around my family’s homes in Essex and Westport. But this morning I was in for a real treat.

      While I was photographing a series for “Ice Up” off my beach in the heart of Westport, I had the pleasure of a close up encounter with a very healthy Eastern Coyote! Coyotes came to the Adirondacks as Wolves were leaving. They interbred and the result is the Eastern Coyote, or Coywolf (Brush Wolf in Canada). The Nez Perce of the Northern Rockies believe coyotes live among the Shadow People, because they are so elusive. It’s unusual to observe one so close, let alone in a village!

      Coyote Folklore

      Figuring prominently in Native American folklore, Coyote is portrayed as a cunning survivalist, a trickster. Secretive and predatory, he is charming but surreptitiously mistreats his companions. Coyote fables teach that deception for selfish gain fails in the long run, and that using your skills for collaboration is more effective than acting at others’ expense. Coyote has yet to learn that lesson, and often does himself more harm than good. Among his legendary accomplishments, Coyote claims to have created the stars, humans, made sex possible, put the sun on its proper course, and discovered fire. In creation myths, the universe is the result of Coyote’s imagination, a dog dream in the mind of a notorious mischief-maker. You have to laugh in a world like that.

      Coyote Capers and Camouflage

      The temperature was well below zero when this magnificent predator appeared in my yard, silently, like a ghost from the woods. Though only a few feet away, he blended so well with the trees I almost missed him. He glanced around, then bounded more like a squirrel than a canine, as he casted for game along the shore. His lightening quick movements were hard to follow. When he paused he would seemingly dematerialize in his tree bark camouflage. I watched with dismay as he ran confidently onto fresh ice that had formed only last night, where he could cover the shoreline more quickly. Light as the mist, and just as silent, he floated over the thin ice behind a sparse grove of trees, and vanished.

      Sources

      Note: This post references materials (listed below) that may have been edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the sources directly.

      • Jonathan Way, EasternCoyoteResearch.com <http://EasternCoyoteResearch.com>
      • Northeastern Naturalist, “Genetic Characterization of Eastern ‘Coyotes’ in Eastern Massachusetts”
      • Guy Cooper, “Coyote in Navajo Religion and Cosmology”
      • Scott Leonard, “Myths and Religions”
      • California State Parks, “Coyote’s Place in Native American Stories”

      Kevin Cooper’s Photographs

      This slideshow requires JavaScript.

      Additional Resources

      • Adirondack Ecological Center
      • Adirondack Explorer
      • Eastern Coyote Research
      • Modern American Poetry: About Coyote
      • Mark Twain’s Role in the Creation of the Coyote and the Roadrunner Cartoons
      • Coyote Audio Recordings
      • Adirondack Ecological Center
      Related articles
      • Trapping Cautions for Pet Owners
      • Martha Stewart on the Adirondacks
      • Adirondack Pie
      • Adirondack Mountain Creams: Essex Tradition Reborn

      Share this:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Pinterest
      • Email
      • More
      • Print
      • LinkedIn
      • Pocket
      • Reddit
      • Tumblr

      Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Coyote, Coywolf, Kevin Cooper

      Avatar photo

      About Kevin Cooper

      A lifelong supporter of the Essex community (his family were among the first Crater Clubbers). Kevin Cooper has been active in the arts, the environment, and many local organizations, including the Essex Theater Company, The Grange, The Split Rock Yacht Club, Piano by Nature, The Depot Theater, The Jay Players, and others. He is a seasoned hiker, sailor, guide boat skipper, paddler, cross country skier, musician, artist, health care provider, and actor.

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Katie Shepard says

        January 26, 2013 at 11:16 am

        Very good job blending in the myth of the Trickster god Coyote. I think you captured his main points very well!

        Thanks for sharing this story. It’s very interesting to see photos of a coyote in our area out in the open.

        Reply
      2. Nancy Maher says

        January 30, 2013 at 3:46 pm

        Great article, Kevin. I like your style of writing. The coyote looks alot like my dog, Sandy.
        Nancy Maher

        Reply
      3. CheyAnne Sexton says

        January 29, 2013 at 10:09 am

        Kevin, I love your post too. The way you describe your coyote encounter is quite lovely and very real. Your Eastern Coyote does look a bit larger, but we have males out here in New Mexico that are that big too. The one in my post is a little female that has been around for a few years now. I’ve noticed some activity in a close den and am hoping that she or they will make use of it this spring. This den has been quiet for a long time, so it was exciting to see freshly dug dirt before all the snow fell in December.
        I also really enjoyed all the lore you included too.
        I hope you have another closer encounter with your coyote soon.
        peace n abundance,
        CheyAnne
        http://www.cheyannesexton.etsy.com

        Reply

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Rewilding Earth Unplugged: Best of Rewilding Earth 2018

      Rewilding Earth Unplugged: Best of Rewilding Earth 2018

      View all Essex Editions books...

      Follow Essex, NY on FacebookFollow Essex, NY on TwitterFollow Essex, NY on PinterestFollow Essex, NY on YouTubeFollow Essex, NY on FlickrFollow Essex, NY on RSS

      Search

      Top 10 Contributors

      • Katie Shepard (595)
      • Geo Davis (394)
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall (259)
      • Avatar photoChamplain Area Trails (CATS) (214)
      • Avatar photoEssex Farm (205)
      • Olive Alexander (190)
      • Sara Kurak (165)
      • Avatar photoFort Ticonderoga (142)
      • Avatar photoTom Mangano (142)
      • Avatar photoLakeside School (116)

      Footer

      Resources & Policies

      • About Essex on Lake Champlain
      • About Essex, New York
      • Essex, NY Weather
      • Disclosure Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Submit a Story
      • Contact Us

      Popular Essex, NY Searches

      • Essex, NY
      • Essex, New York
      • Essex on Lake Champlain
      • Essex Charlotte ferry
      • Essex ferry schedule
      • Essex Charlotte ferry schedule
      • Full and By Farm
      • Essex Farm
      • timber rattlesnake
      • Essex NY fireworks
      • Christmas in Essex, NY
      • Champlain Area Trails

      Local Links

      • Adirondack Art Association
      • Belden Noble Memorial Library
      • Champlain Area Trails
      • Champlain Valley Film Series
      • Essex Community Concerts
      • Essex Theatre Company
      • Historic Essex
      • Rosslyn Redux
      • The Crater Club
      • Town of Essex Information
      • Whallonsburg Grange Hall

      Copyright © 2023 Essex Editions

       

      Loading Comments...