The Canada Geese have begun nesting here at the pond and lake. There is usually a lot of predation on the nests, so this year we decided to see what was really happening. To that end, we put up our trail cam near a nest at the pond. The first picture is fuzzy, but appears to be a raccoon eating eggs. The second photo is a coyote exploring what's left of the nest several days later. This is the first documented coyote on the property, although we know they have been here for a long time. Both raccoons and coyotes are known predators of Canada Goose nests. A recent study found that raccoons were responsible for 22-25% of depredated nests and coyotes were responsible for 75-78% of all Canada goose nest depredation in the Chicago area. (1)
1) THE INFLUENCE OF COYOTES ON AN URBAN CANADA GOOSE POPULATION
IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA Justin L. Brown, B.S., The Ohio State University
2007
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