NATURE, HISTORY AND HORTICULTURE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY
VOLUME 7, NO. 2 SPRING 2007
New Neighbors in the County
COYOTES ARE HERE TO STAY.
IS IT A FOX OR A COYOTE? Look closely at the profile. A coyote walks with its nose pointed down at about a 45-degree angle and its tail down. A fox walks with its head up and its tail pretty much straight out.
Fairfax County Police Department Wildlife Biologist Earl Hodnett says they are established, widespread, and that no area of the county is free of them. So we have new neighbors, and we have to adjust to the new kids in town. Coyotes will frequent fields, hunt along stream beds, and work a woods for food. Fairfax County Park Authority Naturalist Charles Smith says they “bring kind of a better balance” to nature in the county, because they fill a niche by preying on larger creatures like small deer, turkey and geese.
Coyote ResOURces first wrote about coyotes in 2004. See that article at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/archives/coyotes.htm
IF YOU SEE A COYOTE, the rules of engagement are simple. Chase it away by yelling at it. We’re the dominant species. However, Hodnett’s concerned the rules might change. He says we’re on a “honeymoon” with the coyotes because they are primarily nocturnal and respect people. But he says if they learn “we’re as soft as we are,” they’ll relax around us. He notes that we haven’t lived with this kind of smart, efficient, medium-sized predator for a long while, but if people adopt a don’t-feed-the-bears attitude, we’ll get along just fine. If the coyotes learn we’re not a threat and that food is available from us or around outdoor pet dishes and compost piles, the rules change. Coyotes are smart enough to learn that food attracts other animals. They’ll let the food sit and prey on the visiting animals. If we encourage that behavior, we might see more coyotes in daylight, and cats or small dogs could be endangered. Hodnett says, “Think of a coyote as a person who’s a little smarter than you are and happens to be wearing a fur coat.” People opened the way for coyotes to expand from their western and northern roots when forests east of the Mississippi River were cleared. Coyotes don’t like dense forests, but when the trees disappeared, they roamed. They reached northwest Virginia in the late 1970s. Hodnett thinks the availability of road-kill deer has helped increase their range.
Officials aren’t sure how many coyotes this area can sustain, but the animals will determine their own level. Coyotes are territorial, adult males won’t allow competition in their home area and, unlike deer, coyote populations are self-limiting. If their numbers fall, coyotes WHAT’S INSIDE . . . produce larger litters. If there’s overpopulation, litters shrink. Events ........................... 2 That trait and their territorial nature make them vir tually Park Foundation ............ 3 impossible to eradicate. So the Environmental Agenda .. 4 new kids in town are here to stay, a new natural resource offering Watershed Cleanup ....... 5 us a chance to learn a little more RMD Friends ................. 6 about nature.
Volunteers ..................... 8 If you have trouble with a coyote on your property, call the county police nonemergency number — 703691-2131. They’ll dispatch an animal control officer.
Photo Parade ................. 9 Gazebo ...................... 10 Jamestown .................. 11 Historic Property ......... 12
p Fairfax County Park Authority • Fairfax, VA 22035 • 703-324-8695 • FAX 703-324-3996 • TTY 703-803-3354 • www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources