Sidetracked by the web of life

The visits are regular; these guys are just at the northern perimeter of the garden.

 

I had every intention this morning of curling up with my required reading, but I got sidetracked by this tale of following deer tracks and coyote tracks in the snowy woods of the Hudson Valley. The tale, interesting on its own (and complete with photos), evolved into a fascinating discussion of predator-prey relationships, the deer population, what to do in case of an attack by coyotes, the apparently rare coydog (the result of a coyote and a dog mating), the apparently more common coywolf (the result of a coyote and a wolf mating) and ecological changes with far-reaching effects. There's a little bit of politics, too.

Having spent enough time around here trying to decipher the stories behind deer tracks and other animal tracks, it was enlightening (and a bit unnerving) to read Bill Bakaitis' account of a deer kill told through tracks and other evidence left in the woods. Check it out; the comments are a good read, too.