The great days just get better … and the other ones we’ll save for another post.
That’s why it would have to be a dream day for wildlife photography when I had the bonus of seeing a coyote up close … real close.
I like the photo at the right which I took around home but it doesn’t give much detail. I occasionally see a coyote but they are usually skittish, far away, and it’s hard to even identify them! I often fear that my prize photo may turn out to be a farmer’s dog!
In our dream day at Yellowstone, we had seen a grizzly for 45 minutes and were nearing the end of an hour of watching a gorgeous fox hunt. We decided to have our lunch there in the truck since it was a cool day.
I went back to the truck that was parked on a pullout just off the road. Just before setting the camera aside, I noticed an animal sitting at the side of the road quite a distance away. I took a quick photo and enlarged the image on my screen to find a coyote. Bonus!
It sat at the side of the road for quite a while …
and then started heading down the road toward us.
It kept coming closer and we realized it was coming right at us! We closed up the back of the truck where our lunch was sitting, just to make sure it didn’t decide to join us.
The coyote crossed over to the other side of the road and never varied its pace.
It passed right beside the truck …
… gave us a nonchalant look …
… and kept right on going. 
It was hard to believe what just happened.
All of this excitement made lunch taste even better, then it was back to watching the fox. Because, when you’re having a good day, the wildlife just keeps coming.
Krahnpix 
That does sound like a great day. Excellent captures!
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Thanks. It was a lot of fun. Can’t wait for the next one.
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The second one is really cute! Great shots!
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Thanks. It was an unforgettable experience and it’s so nice when there’s photos to accompany the memory.
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What a GORGEOUS animal… Those eyes in that portrait of him (her) you captured – just stunning.
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Thanks. I was so fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. What a day!
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Dear Lyle, Great photographs, indeed and so natural at that. What beats me are the looks of cayote Wolf and the German sheppard dogs look so alike along with their bushy tail. All said and done I enjoyed the pictures.Regards Ganesh.
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It certainly was a natural setting and a great experience. I find those eyes mesmerizing. Glad you liked it.
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Wow, very nice! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your fun adventures…
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Thanks. Glad you liked it. When it’s a fun adventure, it’s also fun to share.
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Happy you got to get a good look at the “prairie wolf” Lyle. Great shots!
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Thanks. It was a great topper to a wonderful day.
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How fantastic to get such a close encounter! Great pictures, I love the look on his face when he just passed by. 🙂
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It was fantastic! Glad you liked that look too. This time it was a good look.
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Lucky day!
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That day was the best and unlikely to be repeated. Makes for amazing memories.
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When you first returned from Yellowstone, you did a posting that suggested a kind of disappointment about the trip, almost as though you had come back empty-handed. Since then, you have been treating us with amazing photos of incredible encounters with wildlife there. You were definitely in the right place at the right time with this coyote and took some wonderful shots. The photos of him walking help to convey a sense of his personality and the close up ones really highligh wonderful detail in his eyes and fur. Great job, Lyle.
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Glad you like the shots. The series helps to convey the absolute wonder I felt at the time. And I fell in love with those eyes.
As I’m going though my photos now, I’m thrilled with the opportunities I had. When I wrote about the disappointing part of the trip, I was careful to mention all the good parts too, including our memorable day that included the coyote. I knew I had a lot of good shots and expected some some would say, ‘wait a minute’! I have a special affinity for bears and my expectations were way too high for what we actually saw. I also mentioned that we did see some bears and I got some good shots – including some that will be in my next post. However, I seem to be on a life-long journey of dealing with unmet expectations. My longer term memory seems to balance things off.
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Some days everything just goes right… As for me – the fox den is replete, with 3 gambolling, frisky fox pups – and NO CAMERA in sight. Sheesh…
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Time to pitch a tent over there – with a camera:) Gambolling is a great word (had to look it up).
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Maybe you’ll draft the letter to my boss declaring my reasons for absenteeism?? 🙂
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No problem. There are important matters at stake here! Don’t you have fox days?
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Now you have me chuckling out loud!! I’ll bring it up as a matter of some concern at the next board meeting… 🙂
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What a cool experience! There is no way the smile would have come off my face that day. So close, so wild. Good job!
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Well I’m still smiling about – especially when I see the photos. Sounds like a kindred spirit. Thanks for the comment.
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No regrets, Coyote
I just get off up aways
You just picked up a hitcher
A prisoner of the white lines on the freeway
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Couldn’t have said it better!!
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That is really outstanding Lyle and good for you! I’m so happy you got to not only have this very cool experience but came back with excellent photos besides. Plus lunch!
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It’s funny how good experiences make lunch exponentially better!
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Those days are the best ever – and they are pretty rare. What a wonderful experience!
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I need to learn to keep replaying the tape during all the other times when nothing happens.
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That is so true!
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Wile E. Coyote!! Nice shots. You were definitely in the right place at the right time. We have coyotes in our area, and they always act as if they own the place if you happen to see them.
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Thanks. Nothing substitutes for being fortunate to witness events like this. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Your reminder of that childhood show reminded me how much I hoped he would finally catch that annoying road runner:)
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Birds rule, I guess!
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Love the look in this guys eyes in the second last pic 🙂
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Thanks. I really enjoyed that look too – hard to describe actually but beautiful.
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