West Seattle wildlife: ‘Very big’ coyote spotted

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

From Beth:

I saw a VERY big coyote outside my window at 9:20 am on the 3600 block of 47th Ave SW [map]. The animal was in stalking pose and appeared to be alone. He was heading west out of my yard. I emailed my direct neighbors to get their animals inside but wanted everyone else to be aware as well.

Coyotes may be old news to some, but not to all, and that’s why we keep publishing sighting reports when we receive them. If you’ve never seen one, scroll through our archive of reports – last one included a very clear photo.

KBear July 11, 2011 (11:52 am)

I love how the coyote post ended up right above the helicopter article—both staple items on WSB. West Seattleites gotta keep tabs on their coyotes and helicopters, after all! The fact that it’s a radiation-surveying helicopter makes it even more ripe for speculation. Could the radiation be causing abnormally large mutant coyotes? Keep us posted!

Marian July 11, 2011 (12:53 pm)

Thanks for posting. I actually find it helpful to understand the coyotes’ habits and range. I’m intent on not coming face to face with any with my small dogs and kids!

sarelly July 11, 2011 (1:43 pm)

Keep your windows closed, too. I ended up with a possum hiding in my house for two days.

Mandy July 11, 2011 (2:38 pm)

KBear, no need to be rude. If you aren’t interested in coyotes or helicopters, don’t read those articles. And if you are too overwhelmed by those subjects’ frequency, perhaps you should find another online source to read from.

Moving on…thanks for the info! I live very near that area, and am thankful to be on the alert for myself and my pup.

WSB July 11, 2011 (3:14 pm)

Thanks for the defense, Mandy. KBear is a longtime commenter, so I’ll leave it to her/him to explain their intent if they care to, but we do kind of wryly observe ourselves that we have lots of coyote and helicopter stories. And birds, and orcas, and development, and business closures/openings, and community council meetings that nobody else bothers to cover, and I could go on all day, but I’m about to embark on another story with no coyotes or helicopters involved that I know of – sitting at Village Green Nursery waiting to talk to Vera about her “stop my foreclosure” petition … We also just might have an entry in the West Seattle Grand Parade kind of paying homage to our frequent topics. Trader Joe’s included. – TR

KBear July 11, 2011 (3:34 pm)

Mandy, I did not mean to be rude. I just found it amusing that these two hot topics got side-by-side postings. And it was a preemptive helicopter posting, to boot. As far as tracking West Seattle coyote sightings, I would bet that coyotes can easily reach any location in West Seattle. The fact that there has not been a sighting in a particular place doesn’t mean they aren’t there. So keep your pets safe whether they’ve been spotted near you or not. And watch out for helicopters, too.

One More Opinion July 11, 2011 (4:01 pm)

I thought the comment was meant to be funny! Oh well…it’s a Monday.

JanS July 11, 2011 (4:05 pm)

I read KBears post differently than you, Mandy. I dind’t see it as snarky, just that she was making a joke at our own foibles :)

So hard to discern posts at times, sometimes the humor doesn’t come through in the written word the way we mean it. :)

ttt July 11, 2011 (4:06 pm)

I thought kbear was just being funny. Humor is allowed on the comments section, right? I like all the articles in WSB. And if kbear is a regular commenter then they obviously like them too (or have nothing better to do!) Thanks for the great work WSB!!

Cascadianone July 11, 2011 (4:22 pm)

Kbear had me laughing! Better these stories than more awful homocide/public corruption/sex scandal/shooting/burning/screaming/crash stories, right? It’s West Seattle, not a Die Hard movie- news shouldn’t be that exciting all the time.
…..
That said, I should wander around shirtless in Lincoln Park until WSB runs a blurry pic of me moving through the trees- their first Sasquatch story! :D

Lori July 11, 2011 (4:41 pm)

A neighbor of mine mentioned to me that he saw a coyote cross 35th at approx 108th around 8:30 Saturday morning. The coyote scampered off into the ravine on the east side of 35th. I’m not at all surprised by it. I’m more surprised that I haven’t seen one myself.

newnative July 11, 2011 (7:32 pm)

I read kbear’s post as poking fun. Heck, I heard the helicopter and knew there’d be a story.

datamuse July 11, 2011 (9:45 pm)

You all laugh now, but one of these days those coyotes will be PILOTING the helicopters. You mark my words.

WSB July 11, 2011 (9:47 pm)

Flying low over Trader Joe’s and “The Hole” next door.

Mike July 11, 2011 (11:39 pm)

How big is a VERY big coyote? Certain it’s not somebody else’s pet dog? There’s a lot of pets in the area that could be mistaken for a coyote. Stalking pose could be mistaken as well, if a pet is lost they’ll appear as though they’re stalking but really they’re just scared and in more of a crouch position.
.
Not saying it’s a false report of a coyote, but at that time of the day in this area, it’s pretty unlikely. I hear them in Schmitz at night, might be what my dog barks at too at night when I let her out to pee. That or some car prowler…never know, just glad she’s got a fierce bark.

Robin Levin July 12, 2011 (7:52 am)

Where’s the Roadrunner when you need him…..?

JW July 12, 2011 (12:12 pm)

Mike– I saw this coyote too, driving back home from dropping my son off at camp around 9:40 AM. It was running south on 47th, through yards on the west side of the street, just south of Charleston. To a casual observer who knows little of coyotes, it looked like it was running from something, possibly spooked (but what do I know). My first coyote sighting in WS and I was very excited! I would say it was a very healthy size– like a mid-size dog. No mistaking it as a coyote– and based on other comments in the past, daytime sightings are pretty common.

BA July 12, 2011 (5:27 pm)

@Mike – I’m the one who reported the coyote. It was three feet from me outside my window, and most certainly a coyote. That said, my next door neighbor and I talked today and they saw the same coyote at 5:20am in their yard…I saw it around 9:20am so it must have been in our yards for quite some time. A beautiful, and very healthy sized animal.

Sandy July 12, 2011 (7:23 pm)

Had a coyote walk right by me this morning at about 4:30. I was sitting on my chair in the back yard and he came from the front of the house right past me and toward my alley. I had to get up and and go look to confirm what I had just seen. I chased him down the alley a bit and scooped up my cats and went inside. I went back out and he was back standing behind my car. i went back in and stayed in. 30th SW & Othello/Myrtle area.

KD July 14, 2011 (4:09 pm)

A coyote killed our 18-year-old cat in our backyard on 7/12/11. 6:00am. 106th and Marine View Dr.

Rhonda July 17, 2011 (8:57 pm)

A coyote killed our 10 year old cat on July 12th between Genesee and Oregon on 40th avenue sometime during the day. He left the house around 8:20 am and never returned. I was notified by my neighbors that he was found deceased on another neighbors lawn. It was very clear it was a coyote attack.

Sorry, comment time is over.