Wildlife cameras reveal that a variety of creatures were stirring at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo on the night before Christmas this year, including this pair of coyotes. This photo was taken on 12/25/11 at 3:09 a.m. by a motion-triggered wildlife camera positioned in a grassy area near the pond at Nature Boardwalk.

As this photo highlights, coyotes are active mainly at night in urban areas. This is an adaptive behavior that allows the species to avoid contact and possible confrontation with humans. For the most part, coyotes, which are known to exist throughout Chicago, go unnoticed because they keep a low profile.

Coyotes are active throughout the winter. In our area they will mate around February and have their pups in spring. Pair bonds between coyote mates can take several months to form. Coyotes may remain with their mate for multiple years and sometimes even for life. While we can’t be sure just on the basis of seeing these animals together, it’s possible the two coyotes in the photo are mates.

Coyotes are omnivores, eating mostly small rodents and rabbits as well as some plant material. The same motion-triggered camera that took this photo confirms there are plenty of rabbits around at Nature Boardwalk!

The website of the Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Project is a good reference for more info on coyotes. In fact, in the foreground of our photo you can just barely make out two circular shapes on the ears of the coyote there; these tags indicate this coyote has been tracked as part of the Cook County Coyote Project. We can even identify her by these ear tags. From long-term monitoring in the area, we know this coyote has been hanging around Lincoln Park for several years now.

Photos like these aren’t limited to Nature Boardwalk. The Urban Wildlife Institute uses motion-triggered cameras to study biodiversity throughout the greater Chicagoland area. We use the cameras to see which animals are out and about when people aren’t around. They give us an inside look into what’s happening in the urban habitat around us. For more info on how UWI uses cameras to study biodiversity, you can read about the project here.

Vicky Hunt