The Quinault Coyote experience sounded like an intense slice of life,
and it reminded me of a true story on my web site that I quote here:

"This story is second hand but based on the experience of a naturalist
I trust to accurately relay the facts: A woman we knew in Syracuse went
for a hike on a remote Adirondack trail with her dog. Her dog
disappeared for several minutes in the forest, as dogs are prone to do
when they are following a scent trail. But suddenly the dog came racing
back to her, its tail between its legs and fear in its heart. Close on
its tail were two coyotes. The dog cowered behind the woman's legs,
while the coyotes watched intently from just a few feet away. A
standoff continued for several long minutes while the woman
aggressively shouted at the coyotes to go away. Finally they
nonchalantly retreated--leaving the woman more than a bit shaken. It is
rare that we confront the truly wild in this age, and it can shake us
to our core when it happens so unexpectedly".

Unrelated, but last weekend Karen and I drove along the Oregon Coast.
Heavy rain and wind kept birding and tidepooling to a minimum, though
we did see a variety of the usual birds one would expect along this
most beautiful coast. The highlights were seeing about twenty Northern
Elephant Seals at Cape Arago and lots of bull elk at the Dean Creek
Wildlife Viewing Area near Reedsport (where we also enjoyed a pair of
White-tailed Kites hovering while hunting).

Lee Rentz
Shelton, WA
lee at leerentz.com
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