Originally Posted by
Steve B.
There's a known breeding pair of coyotes in Van Cortland Park, The Bronx, NYC. The biologists think they use the South County Bike Trail as the travel corridor as there have been quite a few sightings in south Westchester.
They also live in Chicago and have for over two decades:
On The Loose: Urban Coyotes Thrive In North American Cities
I have seen deer grazing in the park not too far from my house, which is near the center of the city. The raptor population has also been growing. Rittenhouse Square, the landmark park in the center of the business district, is a prime red tail hunting location this time of year. Once the leaves fall from the trees, hawks come there to hunt pigeons, rats and squirrels. Just saw one last week while eating lunch there. Very cool to watch. You can usually tell when one is around. The pigeons get spooked and start flying around in large circles like a school of fish. At home I have a photo of what appears to be a young, female kestrel sitting on the telephone pole at the edge of an alley across the street from my house. I saw another raptor walking home Monday. It looked to lean and fast to be a red tail. I am thinking it was a falcon, which have also called the city home from time to time.
My trash can is out on by back deck. If I don't keep the lid on tight I run the risk of possums and raccoons getting into it. They use the numerous small alleys in my neighborhood to get around.