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.

Saw a coyote right by my house as I was leaving for work this morning. pic.twitter.com/duIwJBbdvE

— Super Nintendo Chalmers (@bites) December 29, 2022

Coyotes are “savvy survivors” adaptable to almost any environment, and are common across nearly all of North America today, including habitat in urban areas, a WDFW spokesperson told CHS last year. “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.”

Capitol Hill’s greenbelted urban forest and a few overgrown ravines provide enough cover away from humans for coyotes to somehow continue in the city. The booming population of eastern cottontail rabbits has also helped. Pets, meanwhile, make a convenient meal so consider keeping cats inside especially during morning and evening hours and be aware on early or late dog walks. The WDFW has posted tips on how to avoid conflicts here.

Typically, the coyotes in reports to CHS are busy and on the move. 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.”

You can contact the WDFW if there is “an immediate public safety issue” at (360) 902-2936 or [email protected].

This season, the animals spotted have mostly been described as robust and healthy for city dwellers. If you’re lucky enough to see one, enjoy it.

I think I just saw a coyote in Volunteer Park, so quiet and fast, first going in one direction and then the other, there it is again, just like that, it's a New Year's coyote in Seattle, we are ready.

— Mattilda B Sycamore (@mbsycamore) January 3, 2023

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