Coyote Bosque del Apache

A lone Coyote photographed during my Best of Bosque Workshop in New Mexico. We have had some pretty amazing encounters with Coyotes over the years. Once I realized that this Coyote was headed down a dirt road our way, we slowly crouched and waited for its close approach; we were lucky that it chose the edge of a clearing to pause for photos.

A couple of spots remain for my Dec. 5-9, 2024, Best of Bosque Workshop. Join me and my small group of six photographers for five full days of photography in and around Bosque del Apache.

Coyote (Canis latrans) from my Best of Bosque workshop. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 2,500, f/8 @ 1/500s Manual exposure. Sony animal eye auto-focus. Full Frame image.

Coyote eating an endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse

Here is another from the epic Coyote experiences during last December’s Best of Bosque workshop. This Coyote is eating an endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse which is endemic to New Mexico, Arizona, and a small area of southern Colorado.

I still have space for my Dec. 5-9 Best of Bosque trip after a couple cancelled for medical reasons. Learn more or sign-up for my Dec. 5-9 Best of Bosque workshop HERE.

Bosque del Apache Coyote

A different Coyote from Last year’s Best of Bosque Workshop last December. I must admit to being frustrated that the Coyotes never made direct eye contact while I was photographing them - I rather like the less intrusive view - smile.

There are still two spots to fill after a relatively last-minute health cancellation. To learn more and sign-up for my Dec. 5-9, 2022 Best of Bosque Workshop CLICK HERE.

Coyote

We had some awesome Coyote encounters during my Best of Bosque workshop last December. The record-breaking drought in the west meant much fewer flooded wetlands for migrating birds, so all of the wildlife was concentrated around the limited flooded zones: Much like during the dry season in Africa, where there is an abundance of prey, there are also predators lurking.

Coyote Pouncing on Prey

This is the same male Coyote as in my last post with the image of the playful Coyotes. My group had some great opportunities of him hunting meadow voles during my Best of Bosque workshop.

Coyotes catch mouse-sized rodents by pouncing, whereas ground squirrels are chased. Recent research suggests that Coyotes depend on their vision more than their sense of smell to hunt. Unlike the wolf, which attacks large prey from the rear, the coyote approaches from the front, lacerating its prey's head and throat.

Coyotes of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico

We had some awesome experiences with this pair of Coyotes during my recent Best of Bosque workshop at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, USA. Given the playful nature of their interactions that we watched, I think it is fair to assume they were siblings born this past April.

My experience at the refuge this year was absolutely awesome. Word spread quickly that the drought limited the amount of wetland habitat and the failure of the crops that were planted to feed the migrating Sandhill Cranes and Geese. While this did mean there were limitations on the number of locations for good photography, the available options were awesome. I have never seen so few people in the refuge during migration.

Coyotes, Canon EOS 1D Mark IV First Impressions and NatureScapes Radio Live

Coyote Alpha Male Portrait  (Canis latrans) Quebec, Canada (C) ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, 500mm F4 IS, Canon 2X II Tele-converter, Tripod & Wimberley Head II. ISO 400, 1/320s F8 Manual Mode. Full Frame. Click HERE to purchase a print or license an image for publication.

Coyote Adult female Portrait  (Canis latrans) Quebec, Canada (C) ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, 500mm F4 IS, Canon 2X II Tele-converter, Tripod & Wimberley Head II. ISO 400, 1/400s F8 Manual Mode. Full Frame. Click HERE to purchase a print or license an image for publication.

Coyote Alpha Male Skulking  (Canis latrans) Quebec, Canada (C) ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, 500mm F4 IS, Canon 1.4X II Tele-converter, Tripod & Wimberley Head II. ISO 400, 1/640s F5.6 Manual Mode. Full Frame. Click HERE to purchase a print or license an image for publication.

Coyote

It's amazing to see just how much this Alpha Male Eastern Coyote resembles a wolf; Coyotes have been known to occasionally mate with wolves. The offspring, known as a coywolf, are generally intermediate in size to both parents, being larger than a pure coyote, but smaller than a pure wolf. A study showed that of 100 coyotes collected in Maine, 22 had half or more wolf ancestry, and one was 89 percent wolf. A theory has been proposed that the large eastern coyotes in Canada are actually hybrids of the smaller western coyotes and wolves that met and mated decades ago as the coyotes moved toward New England from their earlier western ranges. The Red Wolf is thought by certain scientists to be in fact a wolf/coyote hybrid rather than a unique species. Strong evidence for hybridization was found through genetic testing, which showed that red wolves have only 5% of their alleles unique from either gray wolves or coyotes. Genetic distance calculations have indicated that red wolves are intermediate between coyotes and gray wolves, and that they bear great similarity to wolf/coyote hybrids in southern Quebec and Minnesota. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA showed that existing red wolf populations are predominantly coyote in origin.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV First Impressions

I've now spent a considerable amount of time in the drivers seat of my Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and am loving every moment. From the new, and snappy, autofocus system to the superb image quality in low light at high ISO, this camera ROCKS! Be sure to download, read and digest the following from CPN Canon Professional Networks 1D Mark IV page:

• EOS-1D Mark IV – AI Servo AF Custom Functions & ISO speed settings guide (English)
• EOS-1D Mark IV – AI Servo AF Custom Functions & ISO speed settings guide (French)

Christopher Dodds on NatureScapes Radio Live April 6, 2010 @ 9PM EST!

Each month NatureScapes.net will be broadcasting a LIVE Pod Cast called "NatureScapes Radio LIVE!" 

NatureScapes Radio LIVE! will air live the first Tuesday of each month at 9PM EST.
Hosted by Dave Warner of LensFlare Live each show will feature friends E.J. Peiker and Greg Downing of NatureScapes.net as well as other guest photographers TBA (Christopher Dodds on April 6th, 2010). Listen LIVE or participate in the conversation while they talk about everything nature and wildlife photography from the latest and greatest gear to techniques and important issues affecting us all.

I was thrilled to be invited as Greg and E.J.'s first featured guest and look forward to answering all of your questions live at 9PM EST on April 6th, 2010. Click HERE for more information.