Early Monday morning, Katherine tells us that she spotted two coyotes near the intersection of 19th Ave NW and NW 73rd St. She says that after her swing shift she was walking her dog around 1 a.m. when she came across the animals.
Photo of coyote from earlier this year in Magnolia.
“We all just sort of stood and stared at one another for a while, and then the two of them loped westward on 73rd,” She writes in an email, “They were the healthiest looking coyotes I’ve ever seen, so they must be eating really well. Actually, I quite like Coyotes: they’re smart and incredibly adaptable. But they are wild animals and must be treated with respect and kept at a distance. I’m worried that these two are so healthy because they are: a) eating dogs and cats that are being left outside at night (I see a lot of lost pet flyers in Ballard); b) eating dog and cat food that people are leaving out in their yards; and, c) eating a lot of raccoons and possums.”
We also received a Tweet from Budi Prasetya around 1:45 a.m., “OMG, I just saw a fox crossing in 24th and 70th Ballard.”
Coyotes have been spotted before in the vicinity of Golden Gardens and Olympic Manor, but this is the first time we’ve heard of a sighting right in the middle of Loyal Heights.
Here is information from the Department of Fish and Wildlife about coyotes. Earlier this year, Fish & Wildlife officers shot and killed a coyote in Magnolia after two months of sightings.