If you saw unusual tracks in the ice and snow across Capitol Hill over the last week, you may have been onto something.

CHS received reports Wednesday morning including video of at least one coyote on the move in the neighborhood.

Crows squawked and cars came to a careful stop in northeastern Capitol Hill as a coyote was captured on video crossing the street not far from Volunteer Park in an area where the canines have been spotted in the past making their way between greenbelts.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says it is checking with Region 4 biologists about any additional reports from the area this week. Spokesperson Chase Gunnell says, in general, coyotes are common year-round in Seattle greenbelts and parks — “whether people see them or not.”

Coyotes are “savvy survivors” adaptable to almost any environment, and are common across nearly all of North America today, including habitat in urban areas, Gunnell said.

“In our region they feed primarily on rabbits and small rodents. With winter conditions causing these prey species to remain in their burrows or otherwise seeking ‘thermal refuge’ from the snow and cold temperatures, coyotes may have to roam more widely in search of food,” Gunnell said.

There is also less brushy or leafy cover in the winter, making coyotes and other urban wildlife “a bit more visible this time of year.”

CHS last reported on a neighborhood coyote spotting last May after a sighting in Interlaken Park — only a few blocks from the latest observation.

Wednesday morning’s reports included a sighting earlier in the morning near 11th and Thomas suggesting a possible journey from the west near I-5 to the Hill’s northeast for the coyote captured on video if it’s the same individual.

Capitol Hill’s greenbelted urban forest and overgrown ravines provide enough cover away from humans for coyotes to somehow continue in the city. The booming population of eastern cottontail rabbits also has helped.

In 2012, the Department of Agriculture was brought in to hunt down and kill a Volunteer Park-area coyote after it exhibited aggressive behavior. The field necropsy performed by the federal biologist showed the coyote was around six or seven years old. It survived what is described as a “traumatic hip injury” at some point in its life and “had a normal number of external parasites, such as ticks and lice.”

But most interactions are like the video captured Wednesday with a special neighborhood resident going about its business and, hopefully, staying safe.

WDFW’s Gunnell does want to remind that these “savvy survivors” spend their days like you and me: looking for a snack.

“This is all a good reminder to keep pets, especially cats and smaller dogs, under close supervision this time of year,” Gunnell said.

UPDATE 1/10/21 12:00 PM: Sightings have continued with a burst of reports Sunday night including this video sent to CHS by a reader showing a coyote on the move near 21st and Aloha:

A sighting was also reported later that night near E Thomas and Melrose.

More sightings have been noted in the CHS comments, below.

HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.

Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.