This race is sometimes called the "California Valley Coyote." It is a more golden or ocher color, slightly darker and less gray than other races. It also averages slightly smaller. I took this photo during the San Francisco Christmas Bird Count. It was near a former cat colony adjacent to the Mussel Rock Transfer Station. The cats disappeared after the Coyotes moved in. Coyotes have been increasing in the San Francisco Bay Area in the last decades. They reportedly moved into the City of San Francisco by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Last year a pet dog was attacked and carried off by a Coyote in Pacifica. According to the report, a large coyote hopped a fence into the backyard and made off with the dog.
Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LZ5 | Nikon FieldScope 3 | 30X WA | hand-held (no adapter)