I had an interesting visit to Fish Park this morning. It was a little chilly with a cold breeze blowing and I really didn't expect to see many birds. I didn't even hear many on the short walk into the park. Once I got going though it turned out to be about an average day for birds. The interesting thing happened as I was standing in front of a forested edge looking up into the branches to see if I could spot any movement. I saw something out of the corner of my and turned to see a rabbit feeding in the bushes. I watched the rabbit for a while and once again noticed movement at the edge of my vision. This time it turned out to be a coyote!
I have seen rabbits in the park but this was my first sighting of a coyote. The funny thing is that the first thing that came to my mind was how this was a perfect example of why visitors to Fish Park really need to keep their dogs on a leash. First, there appear to be at least a few rabbits in the park and I would hate to have someone's off-leash dog chase one down and kill it. Secondly, with coyotes in the neighborhood, it is not exactly safe for your dog to spot one and chase after it. I'm sure that most coyotes would just run off but in doing so it could lead your pet right across a busy street. The bottom line is that it is best to be safe and keep all dogs leashed while in the park.
Here is my list from this morning...
Location: Fish Park Observation date: 5/8/08 Notes: Also saw a rabbit, coyote and heard frogs. Number of species: 16
Canada Goose Mallard duck sp. gull sp. Warbling Vireo American Crow swallow sp. Black-capped Chickadee Bushtit American Robin Wilson's Warbler Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Pine Siskin American Goldfinch
