Tag Archives: wildlife

The Capitol Hill New Year’s coyotes are back (they never left)

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A Capitol Hill coyote spotted in January 2022

Late December and early January reports of Capitol Hill coyotes are an annual tradition.

CHS has received multiple reports of coyote sightings around Volunteer Park to start the new year.

One spotted Wednesday morning in the park was “maybe 40 lbs and completely brazen” according to a CHS reader who emailed us about the canine.

Cold temperatures means more roaming and hunting during daylight hours. In January 2022, CHS reported on sightings of coyotes on patrol in the area and making their way between greenbelts. A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson told us then that coyotes are common year-round in Seattle greenbelts and parks — “whether people see them or not.”

The 2023 reports around Seattle include Capitol Hill and nearby Montlake but also spaces like the public Jefferson Park golf course have put up signs recently warning people of the presence of the wildlife. Continue reading →

‘Savvy survivors’ — Coyote sightings reported across a thawing Capitol Hill

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Thanks to a CHS reader for the video

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.” Continue reading →

Capitol Hill wildlife bingo card: Coyotes, owls, Eastern Cottontails… and the Meany Middle School deer

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The deer was spotted Wednesday morning near Meany Middle School — Thanks to Sam Cetron for the pictures

Add a young buck to the wildlife sightings around Capitol Hill this spring. Sightings of the small deer were reported Wednesday across northeastern Capitol Hill and into the Central District including a stop captured with these pictures from near Meany Middle School.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says nobody reported the animal so it wasn’t aware of the deer’s unusual route. “It’s not uncommon for deer to find their way into green space,” WDFW communications manager Samantha Montgomery tells CHS. “If the deer is injured or sick, or causing negative interactions in the neighborhood, we would ask folks to report that.” Continue reading →

Wild Capitol Hill | Volunteer Park duck family scheduled for relocation

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(Image: @bites via Twitter)

(Image: @bites via Twitter)

A mother duck and her ducklings have once again made a home in Volunteer Park’s koi ponds. But city living is not without its challenges:

Without a sound, the heron took to the air, hopping straight up, spreading its wings and flexing its neck. It looked ready to dive. The onlookers spontaneously shouted at it, like an eager audience at a children’s theater: A young couple, who may or may not have been there on a date, shouted “NO!” in unison. An older man snapped, as if to a disobedient dog, “No, heron!” Someone else moaned “Go away!” Everyone had gathered to admire something adorable, but it seemed as though they were about to get a lesson in how casually brutal nature could be.

But then the mother duck sprang into action…

As was the case in 2010 when a mother duck and seven ducklings moved into the ponds, the 2013 ducklings will soon be on the move. Seattle Parks tells us the family is slated to be relocated. “We are moving them because the duck feces creates an ammonia situation in the pond that is lethal to the fish,” a Parks rep tells CHS. “We are working with the USDA Wildlife Services to escort them (momma and babies) to a habitat on Lake Washington.”

In 2010, the duckling round-up came at the end of July.

Capitol Hill Aviary | Hill bird mom will lays its own weight in eggs

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Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
originally uploaded by tbtalbottjr.

At this time of year, birds often fly around carrying bits of grass, twigs, cobwebs—and sometimes, here on the Hill, trash—for building nests. Many birds lay several clutches of eggs every season in an attempt to raise as many chicks as possible. But one of the Hill’s smallest songbirds, the ruby-crowned kinglet, has a different strategy.

The ruby-crowned kinglet gets its name because of a tiny red crest on the male’s head, but this crest only pops up when he is agitated or trying to attract a female. If you see a kinglet, you may not see any red at all. You may only see a tiny gray bird with some yellowish coloration on the underside. Continue reading →