When I managed to depress the crown of my wristwatch so the time could shine out in the dark, the glow told me it was 4:30am. The noise from outside the bedroom window sounded, at first, like a children's party with delighted chirp-like chatter. I soon recognized that it was coyotes yelping, even though in the unlighted parking lot they were not visible.
In previous seasons here at Big Bend, I've heard the yelps and yips of a gathering of coyotes punctuating the desert darkness. Unlike wolves, coyotes do not hunt in groups, instead are solitary predators that sometimes will pair-up to run prey to exhaustion. I'll have to research the Internet to learn why coyotes gather, announcing their congregation quite noisily.
I went back to bed wondering just why there was a pack of them just yards from our window making such a racket. Of course, having no recognition of their individual voices, I couldn't determine the size of the crowd. I drifted off assuming that it was yesterday's all-day rain that resulted in the coyote cacophony. Visitors were disappointed that the cold rain had spoiled their few days in the Park. They did not appreciate my suggestion that they could take some satisfaction in the recognition that they had experienced the desert under very unusual circumstances. A fog-shrouded landscape with puddles beneath the creosote brush is not exactly the scene they wanted to preserve.
My assumption though, was that the coyotes understood the benefits of the dreary day. It meant that the soaking and shivers they'd put up with would bring life that would sustain them and their pups. The possibility of being able to put food on the table for your family is cause for rejoicing. A promising future is reason enough for any creatures to gather to celebrate.
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