A coyote, the size of a German Shepherd Dog, has been using my backyard as a highway to get from here to there. Most coyotes are scrawny animals and they move with stealth and caution at dawn and dusk. Not this one. I’ve seen it at night and I’ve seen it at noon. When I do, I go running into the yard, screaming like a banshee. It takes a insouciant look at me and barely speeds up into a trot before it disappears into the woods. I don’t let my good farm dog, Lily, out to scare off the coyote – and it drives her mad from inside the house – but I don’t want them to tangle.

There are worries you have when you’ve got domestic animals on your property. Wildlife viewing just isn’t the same.