Continuing thanks to everyone for your submissions. Your recent observations have led us to add several new sites to add to our annual camera surveys this coming winter. Hopefully we can find the time to get to them all!

If you are interested in learning more about this project and our overall research, you can check out the links below:

Gotham Coyote Project website
http://www.gothamcoyote.com

GCP Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/gothamcoyote/

A recent publication on the in-progress colonization of Long Island by coyotes
https://checklist.pensoft.net/article/22566/

Thank you to everyone who has and is continuing to submit sightings! This project is a long-term effort, and run by volunteers, so we are not able to follow up on every sighting. But as the dataset grows we can keep track of where these animals are appearing and will use this information to design more in depth coyote-fox-deer interaction studies in Long Island and elsewhere going forward.

So please keep it up and spread the word.

Thanks again everyone

We have been quiet lately but please know we are logging these observations and they are very useful! Thank you everyone who has participated and keep them coming!

If you find a roadkill coyote, we are building a specimen and genetic collection at the American Museum of Natural History. Please contact coyote4science@gmail.com with with a detailed location, contact information, and a picture if possible.

Do not pick it up. Handling wildlife – even roadkill – is illegal in New York State.

http://www.gothamcoyote.com/

So a big part of this project is finding coyotes in places where they have never been found before. This leads to a few challenges regarding sightings, especially those without pictures.

On the one hand, if we get a report of a coyote in, say, Suffolk County, at this point in time it is probably a mistake and the person likely saw a dog or a fox. In other words, if you are skeptical and bet that a un-documented sighting is not a coyote, you will probably be right.

But on the other hand, the entire point of this project is to observe coyotes colonizing Long Island, and at some point people will start seeing them and at that same point, the skeptical guess will end up wrong.

So how do we know if someone is legitimately seeing one of the first coyotes in their region or someone made a mistake?

If you can get a picture, that is the best way for us to make sure one way or the other. But sometimes pictures can be unclear, or at night, or the animals is too far away, etc. I would also say that under no circumstances should anyone try to approach wildlife or lure them closer. Coyotes are far less dangerous than dogs, but trying to get close to wildlife or enticing them closer with food is how problems arise! "Trying to" get a good picture means include staying still and quiet while in or near the woods and keeping a camera ready.

We are also following up on as many coyote sightings as we can (this will kick into gear this upcoming fall and winter) by speaking with respondents, going to the site and looking for sign, and when possible, setting up a camera.

We do not want to discourage anyone from submitting a sighting if they really think they have seen something. But we will likely have to follow up and might have to score your sighting as unconfirmed or "probably a fox" or something like that until we can get more evidence.

So -- do your best to get familiar with the different species and common ID "pitfalls" (see http://www.gothamcoyote.com/p/report-sighting.html for the basics) and try your best to get a picture within the bounds of ethical and safe behavior.