I spied a coyote zipping through the hayfield this morning just as I was getting into my car. Had I looked two seconds later, wouldn't have seen him at all, and everything happened way too quickly for me to grab my camera. Anxious about being out in the open, he scooted across the road near the ravine, heading toward the paddock where the bred ewes spend their days.

After feeding the flock, I back-tracked to see if I could tell what he'd been up to.

From the looks of all the fresh critter tracks in the snow, he was after smaller quarry. Coyotes are opportunists and will tackle easy prey when they can. I don't think he'll pose a threat to my girls, at least not in broad daylight.

 His tracks intersected and looped around a set of tracks from a much smaller animal that may have ultimately evaded him by running through my coyote-proof woven wire fence.

This is the view to where he was heading on the other side of the road. He was following the brushy cover at the top of the ravine along the edge of another hayfield. Lots of fresh rabbit track there. Maybe he'll bag one for breakfast.