Curious Park Predator

Park encounters with coyotes, as if there wasn't enough to worry about.

Spring and summer in Whatcom County, Washington, invariably means more urban sightings of a variety of predators in neighborhoods and parks, especially coyotes. Since moving to Bellingham I’ve always had a healthy respect for this particular crafty species and found them fairly unpredictable predators. Encountering them at night or in broad daylight is not uncommon. A few years ago my Border Collie, Casey, got into a who’ll-blink-first stare down with an adult coyote late at night in our front yard, and was smart enough not to give chase.

Today I came across a poster of a missing 12-year old, black and white Border Collie, Abby, near the entrance to the off leash area of Whatcom Falls Park. Always a sucker for this incredible breed, and having shared my life with two of them in recent years, this sign tugged at my heart strings. Knowing full well our status as interlopers in the park this time of year, I had a sinking feeling that Abby was history. I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it, and it was probably her fault. In all likelihood, this spry old girl took off into the woods after a close encounter and was attacked after bolting into family territory.

Two coyotes checking out hikers on a trail in Whatcom Falls Park

Nature is a wonder, but it can also be pitilessly indifferent, or so says Richard Dawkins. And for a while, at least in this section of our interurban trailways, Cleo’s high activity releases will be restricted to creek splashing, with “off leash” relegated to history, at least until fall.