Photo Courtesy of Ernest O. Stolpe

By Mary Alice Murphy

You haven't seen an article on the outdoors from me for a while.

Between the weather and news I've had from a couple of neighbors and a Beat reader, I figured it's time.

The photo at right is by a Tyrone resident. He was taking advantage of the snow to do a little coyote hunting'with his camera'while the coyote was using the snow likely to do her own hunting.

"I was completely still with my camera aimed right at this coyote before she spotted me," Stolpe wrote. "Her ears are at full attention and the eyes staring right at me. I had my camera on silent mode, which allowed me to take five photos from about 40 feet from her, before she calmly walked off. This appears to be about a 2-year-old with a very nice coat of winter fur. Her partner continued up and over the hill following, no doubt, fresh rabbit tracks.

"Coyote Curious Facts - Only 5-20% of coyote pups survive their first year," he continued. "The coyote can run at almost 40 mph and can get over an 8' fence. Coyotes can breed with both domestic dogs and wolves. A dog-coyote mix is called a 'coydog.' The coyote is likely more afraid of you than vice-versa. Coyotes maintain their territory by marking it with urine."

Two of our neighbors have reported having almost daily visits from a hummingbird. One reports he leaves a feeder out all year, because the Costa's hummingbirds generally show up in February. This one he's seen since last March.

Another neighbor couple reports having daily visits from a magnificent hummingbird since December.

We've had magnificent hummingbirds, which I describe as the "gorilla" of the hummingbird world, visit us a few winters, but I haven't seen him this year, even though it would be short flight to our house from theirs.

According to this article, in order to survive the chilly temperatures, http://www.hummingbirdmarket.com/hummingbird_articles/cold_nights.html , the tiny birds can enter a state of torpidity for short periods of time.

Another article, from Birds and Blooms, http://www.birdsandblooms.com/blog/hummingbirds-survive-in-snow-and-freezing-temps/ , quotes the experts at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Seattle Audubon Society.

Both articles recommend keeping feeders out to help the tiny birds survive if they get left behind after migration.

I love providing "nectar" for these wintering hummingbirds, because they need a plentiful supply to survive the cold temperatures.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration accurately predicted this winter's El Ni+