Kelly and tweeters,
I am curious of the lack of coyote sightings in Discovery. I don't know
the status of the park to date, but can offer that while heading into do a
point count in the forest along the North Loop trail area (near the
cemetery) I flushed a coyote out and got a very good look at it. The only
other sighting this season was in a suburban area development in Redmond
(no houses yet, but clearing for development) I saw 4 coyote pups playing
about 50 yards in front of me with no mother around. I don't see how a
coyote could have gotten into Discovery in the last 9 years, but I'm open
to any explanantions..
Thanks,

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA

"Birds don't read bird books. (That's why they are seen doing things they
are not supposed to do)." -Mary Wood


On Sat, 14 Aug 1999, Kelly Cassidy wrote:

> >I would love to know how many coyotes their really are in parks in Seattle.
> I
> >know there have been some reported in Discovery, and I read somewhere
> >that there used to be some in Seward park, but they were removed after too
> >many cats disappeared. I don't know if the ones at Carkeek are confirmed or
> >just a neighborhood rumor.
>
>
> Tim Quinn, then a grad student at the UW, now at the WDFW, did his
> doctoral dissertation on "The Distribution, movements, and diet of coyotes
> in urban areas of western Washington", available through the University of
> Washington library.
>
> His dissertation includes a map of public sightings by park
> groundskeepers. There are many sightings around Carkeek, and a handful each
> near Magnuson, the Arboretum, Woodland Park and a few other areas, but not
> Discovery or Seward. Quinn also captured and radio-collared urban coyotes.
> In urban areas, coyotes mostly occur and travel through remnant forest
> patches. "Three active coyote dens were discovered in north Seattle (two in
> Carkeek and one in Pinehurst) during the course of this study. All were
> located in thick second growth forest patches surrounded by urban
> developments." (By "Carkeek" and "Pinehurst", Quinn is evidently referring
> not just to the parks proper, but the park and adjacent area.)
>
> Coyote sightings were more abundant in north than south Seattle. His data
> were collected between 1988 and 1990.
>
> Kelly Cassidy
>
>