Three coyote sightings, two of them just this morning:

LOWER GATEWOOD: The photo and report are from Brian Quinn:

On my morning walk with my dog, and this guy just came sprinting down the middle of the street – Woodside Pl and Othello.

UPPER FAUNTLEROY: Quick glimpse on security video, sent by Robert:

The sighting was around 8 this morning. (Not far from our own one-and-only coyote sighting – 16 years ago.)

SUNRISE HEIGHTS: Merica reported two coyotes seen near 30th/Elmgrove last Saturday night (August 10).

We’ve been reporting coyote sightings for 17 years to encourage awareness, not alarm – we and they can stay a healthy distance from each other, experts say, especially if you avoid providing food (from unattended pets to unsecured garbage) – they have plenty of small wildlife (including rodents) and vegetation to eat otherwise. Read more about coexisting with coyotes here.

Even after 15 years and hundreds of coyote-sighting reports, some people still express surprise that they’re here. So we keep sharing sightings.

ADMIRAL: This is the most recent one sent in – Ashley reported this sighting around 3:30 am today:

I wanted to get the word out that I just happened upon our local coyote in front of Taste of Mumbai on California. He was running down the street with a cat in his mouth. If anyone is missing a gray striped cat in the area, the coyote got it sadly.

SYLVAN RIDGE: Michael recorded this short video on Wednesday:

He said, “I had no idea they could just walk into blackberry bushes like that.”

NORTH HIGHLINE: From the other side of the city-limit line, Katie sent this on Tuesday:

I wanted to let you know that at least one coyote was in our yard in the North Highline Unincorporated Area, so presumably they’ve made the trek all the way south through West Seattle. I wish I had a photo of the actual coyote, but I wasn’t fast enough. They got one of our chickens yesterday, unseen. Today they came back for seconds and I hustled out thanks to the vigilance (and volume) of the neighborhood crows.

PIGEON POINT: Annette reports that a pack of coyotes seems to be active in Pigeon Point: “We have lost 9 cats over a very short period of time.” She says she witnessed one cat taken by a coyote early in the morning. She says neighbors have reported the pack near Pigeon Point Park and the golf course downhill. “I know nature lives side by side in West Seattle due to the lovely greenbelts we have scattered throughout the area, but the size of the pack seems to be growing beyond what the area and our neighborhood can handle.” She was planning on trying natural deterrent including wolf urine.

Our standard disclaimer: Coyote reports are published here for awareness, not alarm. Experts say the best way to keep them at bay is to not provide food – they will not just eat unattended small pets, but also pet food and unsecured food waste. (And they eat small wildlife, too.) To learn more about coexisting with coyotes, including what to do if you encounter one, here’s info from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Two reports from 19th SW this morning top the latest in our periodic roundups of coyote-sighting reports we’ve received:

That photo was texted along with the note, “SW Brandon and 19th SW – hid for a few minutes then ran west toward 21st.” Also this morning, Barb emailed us this report from about a mile south of there:

I’ve seen stories regarding coyote sightings in WS, but don’t recall seeing any mention in this area. Good sized and healthy looking! It went into a yard at the bottom of SW Austin.

We also received two emailed reports of sightings last Sunday in Seaview. This one’s from Lisa:

Just before 9 PM we watched a coyote walk down the alley between 48th/49th ave SW at Juneau St. It went in to a neighbor’s yard and up on front porch. Eventually left the yard and scurried south back down the alley.

And this one from Robin:

Crow mob chased coyote south down 50th Ave SW. Started at Hudson at 6:30 am … this coyote looked healthy. Hopefully catching a lot of rodents.

Our standard disclaimer: We don’t publish coyote reports for alarm, but rather for awareness. Experts say the best way to keep them at a healthy distance is to not supply food, and that means everything from leaving bowls of pet food outside to leaving small domestic animals unattended. As our coverage has shown over the years, they have been seen in most neighborhoods, so you can’t assume yours is coyote-free just because, for example, you’re not near a greenbelt. To learn more about coexisting with coyotes, including what to do if you encounter one, here’s info from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

More coyote sightings, first one sent by Amy on Thursday:

Just saw a coyote chasing my chickens. Keep your pets indoors! We live between the Pathfinder trails and the Duwamish Longhouse. Still waiting to see if my scattered flock returns….

Since we weren’t able to publish that immediately, we checked back later, and Amy updated us:

The chickens are mostly okay. They came out of hiding about an hour later. One of them had bite marks and needed stitches, but will recover. The attack happened around 10:00 AM. I’m not letting the chickens or my cat out unsupervised any time soon.

Rose De Dan thinks her cat might have encountered a coyote, perhaps the one captured on her Wild Reiki Spa video from the Belvidere area last Saturday:

I love and respect coyotes but do not want to see one hunting at the Wild Reiki Spa near dawn. The coyote doubles back; he’s hunting something, maybe a rabbit. The two sets of glowing eyes on the mid-left are my two foster cats watching the action from the window. I am worried; former outdoor-only stray cat Tamerlan came home dirty and injured around 10 p.m. last night (no bites, but a possible muscle strain and fall, perhaps from fleeing a coyote). I am glad I can warn the neighbors to keep their cats in at night and not leave their dogs unattended in the backyard. This is a very healthy coyote and pets don’t stand a chance.

And Sally reported this Wednesday sighting:

I’d never seen a coyote in person, so I guess today was my turn.

I saw it come from SW Holly, at the south edge of South Seattle College. It started to run out onto 16th Ave SW, but ran back to the curb to avoid getting hit by cars. It had a small animal in its mouth, but I couldn’t tell what it was – could have been a cat. All I saw was that the prey had dark gray, brown, white stripe-y soft texture. To me, it really looked like the back of a barred owl, though I couldn’t imagine that a coyote would manage to catch an owl? This was around 6:45 am.

As we’ve noted many times before in our 15-plus years of coyote-sighting reports, coyotes have a varied diet – nuts and berries as well as wildlife (squirrels, rats, etc.) and yes, some unattended pets. We publish sightings periodically for awareness, not alarm; even if you don’t live near a greenbelt, they’re likely in your neighborhood. Learn about them here.

Stefanie sent that photo after seeing that coyote – squirrel in mouth – running across 35th and down Juneau in mid-June. We’ve been publishing coyote sightings for a decade and a half, often one-offs, but this time we have several in queue, to perhaps provide better context of how they’re living around and among us. This is important for pet owners to realize, since in addition to eating small wildlife like the squirrel in the photo, rats, and more, unattended domestic animals can be part of their diet too. Other sightings, minus prey, included this one texted a few days ago:

Not a great shot but we saw a lone coyote scampering around 37th and Henderson … Public service announcement.

Also via text, sent Monday:

There was one in Sunrise Park in the High Point neighborhood around 6:30 am … We have many outdoor cats in the area that I worry about. Looks to have headed into the ravine toward Delridge.

Early morning is a common sighting time. Aaron saw one this morning:

I was not able to snag a picture, but we just saw a coyote trotting up Frontenac and then head south on 39th in Gatewood. Have appreciated the community sharing updates on locations but this was the first time we’d seen one out and about.

Also in Gatewood, Pam reported a sighting last Friday:

For the second time in the last two weeks (?) I saw a leggy coyote heading down the alley between California and 41st, this morning, it was moving fast and carrying a critter. I sure hope it was a rabbit … might be worth letting everyone know that there’s a hunter around and to keep an eye on their pets. Here’s a good source on keeping our four-legged smalls safe.

They can travel a lot of ground, too – Terris observed this one a little over a week ago:

Coyote spotted coming across the Oregon hill (23rd/22nd, whatever we call that road) from Delridge up to Puget Ridge. It crossed the intersection where 23rd branches off and ran up by the houses on the east side of the hill along on the retaining wall. Please keep your pets safe.

As noted in the FAQ Pam shared, as well as many infosheets (like this one) that we’ve shared over the years, avoiding feeding coyotes – intentionally or unintentionally – is the best way to avoid you and/or your pet coming into close contact with them.

6:20 PM: Thanks for the coyote-sighting reports! We’ve received three recently –

–Kathleen emailed today to report, “We saw a small coyote in our yard on 39th between Andover and Dakota at 6:30 a.m. this morning.”

-A texter reported two coyotes at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point on Monday.

–Charrie saw that one via a security camera on their front porch at 60th/Charlestown on May 24.

This is not cause for alarm but rather awareness, which is why we have published reader coyote sightings from time to time over the past 15+ years – not everyone realizes they’re here living among us (or is it, we among them?). Authorities say the best way to ensure we and they can maintain a healthy distance apart is to not provide food sources – which can include anything from pet food to unattended small pets. Here’s more information on coexisting with coyotes.

ADDED 10:15 PM: Aaron has since sent this video recorded by his parents in Gatewood on Wednesday, a coyote running as a crow chased it: