A Symphony of Howls and Barks: A Nighttime Territory Dispute on the Farm
The speaker had eagerly anticipated this particular evening, sensing the telltale signs of an impending nocturnal drama. "So I've been waiting all week for a night like tonight, and I think it's going down, so come with me, you guys will find this interesting." The stage was set for an encounter between the farm's guardians and the wild predators lurking nearby.
"Hey Toby dog! Hey Abby dog!" The dogs' agitated barking confirmed the speaker's suspicions. "I hear him, I hear them! I'm not sure if you guys can hear them, but for the last few minutes, the dogs have been out here barking like crazy." The unmistakable sound of coyotes echoed in the distance. Abby, in her heightened state, had even jumped the fence. Toby's protective instincts were equally strong. "Toby dog wants to go over there. I'm going to let him go over. Come on, I'm going to let you through. I'm going to let you through. Come on, buddy!" The normally unflappable birds were clearly disturbed. "The birds are totally freaking out right now." The speaker allowed Toby to patrol. "Come on, pal, here, go do your job." Toby diligently marked his territory. "You can see Toby's out here marking his territory." The speaker acknowledged the presence of the unseen coyotes. "What is it, kid? I know I heard him, you heard him. It sounds like they're out over there." The dogs were in "full-on Cujo mode."
The warmer temperature, accompanied by a mix of snow and rain, seemed to have emboldened the coyotes. "It's actually kind of a warmer night. It's snowing and raining this evening, and so seems like the coyotes are out tonight." The speaker noted the correlation between coyote activity and the dogs' heightened alertness. "And so when the coyotes go out, that means the dogs go out. You're doing a good job, buddy. You're doing a good job. You keep doing your thing."
Over the years, viewers had often requested a glimpse into these nighttime encounters. "I know so often you guys have asked me over the years to like kind of show what goes on when the coyotes come." The speaker had been patiently waiting for the right moment. The coyotes seemed to be located across the street in a neighbor's field or perhaps in the nearby Cedar Swamp. "Either that or they're over in the Cedar Swamp in that area." Abby's keen senses confirmed their presence. "Yeah, what is it, Abs? You hear it? I hear it! I definitely hear it!"
The speaker mentioned having trail cameras in the area, promising to review the footage the following morning. The agitated state of the confined poultry was evident. "So the ducks and geese and chickens are all in here. They're a little bit freaked out right now, both because of the noise of the coyotes but also the fact that the dogs and I are in here, and we don't usually come in here at night." The speaker then released the birds back into the night. "Come on guys, let's go out, out the door! Come on!"
The prevalence of coyotes in the area was acknowledged. While not native, they had filled the ecological void left by the decline of wolf populations. "You know, coyotes are not native to this part of the country, United States, but as the Wolves were exterminated, particularly kind of across North America, not to say that they're entirely gone, but they're significantly less prevalent than they were say 200 years ago, with the departure of those wolves, essentially we've had a situation where coyotes have filled the ecological niche that wolves, you know, for the most part traditionally played as kind of like the midsize predator for this area." The speaker highlighted the ecological benefits of coyotes, particularly their role in controlling rodent populations and, consequently, tick populations. While acknowledging concerns from deer hunters, the speaker believed the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. The presence of the livestock guardian dogs served as a crucial deterrent. "And because I have the dogs, basically the dogs keep the coyotes at Bay." The nightly "conversation" between the dogs and coyotes was a regular occurrence. "Activities like what you're hearing tonight and seeing tonight, this happens all the time." The speaker emphasized the non-interactive nature of these territorial exchanges. "So the two sets of animals will never interact, but they will have this like essentially territory conversation like you're seeing right now, and this is totally normal." This was simply livestock guardian dogs doing their job.
The speaker conceded that this might be a less dramatic video than usual but felt it was important to document the reality of livestock guardian dogs in action. The speaker often enjoyed listening to these nighttime serenades, especially in the warmer months.
A common misconception about coyote vocalizations was addressed. "I think a lot of people have this perception that coyotes sound like almost like wolf howls, and like, like that is the expectation of what a coyote sounds like, when the reality, my experience is it's like, uh, I don't know, I always equate it to somebody taking like an electric baking mixer and putting it on a guitar fretboard, the sound of the mixer hitting the Fret strings, like I don't know, that's what it sounds like to me." The actual sound was described as more of a screeching and howling, a "very violent sound" unlike the lone wolf howl often imagined. A flashback to a summer recording of coyote sounds was included.
The reasons behind coyote howling were explained, including territorial declarations and pack cohesion. The speaker noted the surprisingly small number of animals capable of producing such a significant amount of noise.
Toby's apparent satisfaction with the current situation was noted, while Abby remained vigilant. The speaker decided to conduct a quick perimeter check with Toby. The slumbering weird chickens, the unconcerned goats in their house, and the still-agitated birds in the hoop coop were observed.
A check on the cattle revealed Audrey and the rest of the herd in good condition. The unusually warm night, with temperatures above freezing and mixed precipitation, was likely another factor contributing to the coyote activity.
The speaker praised the dogs' behavior. "What do you say, dogs? Is there anything going on? Abby, I'm very proud of your behavior tonight. You were doing really good." Treats were distributed as a reward. "Both dogs deserve treats. Toby dog, come here! We got a treat for Mr. Toby dog! We got a treat for lady Abington! Good work on behalf of the dogs here, they deserve good things. I'm really proud of both of you." The value of livestock guardian dogs in protecting the farm was reiterated.
The speaker then promoted a recent video essay on the history of farmland in the United States.