Wilder Side of Oakland County
An exhausted and cold eastern coyote sits trapped in a retention pond, perhaps reflecting on its fate.
The eastern coyote may just be the most adaptable species of native North American wildlife found in Oakland County, and they do more than just survive in our midst, they thrive. Their survival is all about habitat and food. Rolling hills, productive wetlands, farm fields, forests, meadows and park lands, coupled with human created landscapes and travel corridors, create excellent habitat conditions. This elusive, and generally human shy, predator feeds on groundhogs, voles, mice, frogs, rabbits, goose eggs, fruits, vegetables and insects. In the month of November, road-killed deer and ‘gut-piles’ left by deer hunters keep the coyotes of the county well-fed. Continue reading
