they're headed for the bridge!

[marcicat]

I went for a walk on the river yesterday morning before work, which was cold and beautiful. It's hard to say how long the ice will stick around (in a form that's safe enough to walk on), and since I really wanted to get all the way to the bridge, it felt like The Moment had arrived.

Things I though to myself while I was walking:

*Those are definitely probably not coyote tracks. Right?
*This would be easier if I was wearing my ice grippers.
*Those noises are normal ice sounds, not my imminent doom. (Right?)

And I made it to the bridge! It was excellent. Very scenic, with an impressively neat 'RESIST CAPITALISM' graffiti'd on one side.

(After deliberation, I did cross under the bridge to see the other side, whose graffiti exhorted me to 'BUY LESS LIVE MORE' and also to 'BE ERIC,' which both seem like relatively sound advice. Particularly for those named Eric, I guess. The ice made an extra-alarming noise at that point, and I immediately regretted my life choices and scampered back under the bridge to start the return trip.)

In conclusion: good walk! Very fun! Ice is mysterious!

Comments

[lilysea]

How aggressive are coyotes towards people in your area?

Would they run away if they saw you,

or stand there and look at you but not get closer,

or get aggressive?

[marcicat]

Those are excellent questions! I've seen local reports of coyote sightings, but none of coyote attacks, which is probably a good sign? And the internet tells me coyotes eat squirrels, which are plentiful enough here to feed MANY coyotes, and presumably less challenging as prey than a person. Mostly I try to be aware enough to avoid stumbling over one and startling them.

[lilysea]

Good to know!

In Australia we've had some issues with dingoes killing people but it's extremely rare

(I can think of maybe three examples ever off the top of my head, and one of those is the dingo that stole baby Azaria Chamberlain out of a tent)

AND it's a direct consequence of dingoes becoming habituated to people by either

a) scavenging food rubbish from campsites;

b) people deliberately feeding them

[Deliberate feeding of dingoes on K'gari/Fraser Island is now banned after it led to the death of a child]