Folks -- Sausalito, CA, just north of San Francisco Bay is a "tourist trap", with a nice shopping area and restaurants along the shore of Richardson Bay, the northern end of San Francisco Bay. The tourist area is on flat land along the bay and expensive residential properties fill the hillside upslope towards Highway 101, not unlike the Berkeley Hills on the other side of the Bay.
This morning, I was at a property on Glen Drive, on the hillside forested area when I saw a large coyote saunter right down a residential driveway and down around the curve of the driveway and out of sight. The coyote seemed less concerned about my presence than I was of his! I spoke with the female resident of the nearest property and she confirmed seeing the coyote on her property and said that she had even found it resting in a case where the coyote raised its head when she got within view, assessed the "threat" posed by her, and decided to lay its head back down and resume napping during the daytime. On the west side of Highway 101 lies the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is a relative wildland of chaparral and grass and a few groves of long ago-planted eucalyptus trees. The GGNRA is definitely suitable habitat for coyotes, bobcats, and other predators. The Sausalito coyote surely came from the wildlands, but may be able to spend much of its time now in the hillside neighborhood where many residents work away from their residences during the day and where it may be able to steal food put out for pets and maybe even the occasional pet cat or other man-provided prey. When I first saw the coyote this morning I did a double take and thought that surely the news of its presence would surprise the property owner. But she took it in stride, was aware of the presence of the coyote and the potential threat it posed, and seemed fully willing to accept that risk while enjoying having the animal in her neighborhood. Welcome to Marin County, CA! (By the way, the resident told me that she and her husband bought her house a few weeks ago for $2 Million as is, and the buildings are in need of significant repair). Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
