A howling coyote and one at the den barking. They didn’t seem to sense the presence of a human right off, but were suddenly startled to see or smell me and that’s when the one began barking.
The howler happened to be facing the full Cold Moon of December 26, 2023, which was rising over the silhouetted Santa Ynez Mountains just between Arlington Peak and White Mountain. This presented the common folk lore impression of a wild dog howling at the full moon.
It appears to be a pregnant female, yet also with a bad limp.
Last year I saw coyotes in a different den, but not too far away.
Looking right, a view of the moonrise at 5:28 pm from same place.
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