Coyote alarm clock

This time of year we're woken at night by sudden howls and syncopated shrieks. The hills are dry and the coyotes have come down to rest by the creek. They must sleep by day or they're drowned out by the cars. It's at night that we hear them screeching to the stars. Early on, like eight or nine a siren might set them off. Just what does it at 2 am, I couldn't say. There must be a whole den of pups - I hear them whining, piteously crying, sometimes one by one, sometimes sad in unison. They sound sad and lonely and hungry.

There were some nice, fat quail in the yard today. The coyotes haven't hunted them all down. Let the rain come soon so the coyotes can go crawl back up into the hills.