Coyote Cam

2024 Pilot Study Executive Summary

During July-December 2024, Wolf Conservation Center Integrative Ecology & Coexistence Lab (WCC-IECL) stationed about 60 remote cameras in Westchester County, NY parks. All together, the cameras observed these habitats for about 2500 nights. We placed our cameras in five parks and preserves: Brownell Town Park, Marx Preserve, Sal J. Prezioso Mountain Lakes Park, Leon Levy Preserve, and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

What We Learned

Here are some of the key results from our 6-month pilot study.

When Are They Active?

This pilot study found that the Westchester County towns, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, and North Salem host a wide variety of wildlife. Most of the animals were active during early mornings and late evenings. Local coyotes tend to travel alone, and were only occasionally seen in pairs They preferred to be out and about between 12 AM - 5 AM and 3 PM - 8 PM.

Many others have observed the same. This is unsurprising, since coyotes are known to actively avoid humans. Nearly all of the other species in our study were nocturnal, with red foxes and white-tailed deer showing activity throughout the day.

A 24-hr timeline of wildlife activity in Westchester County, NY from July-December 2024. This plot follows military time, so 0 = midnight, 5 = 5AM, 15 = 3PM, and so on. 25 is simply a marker for the end of the 24-hr timeline after 23:59 (11:59PM), at which point it restarts at 0. The y-axis shows the chances of the animal being seen at a given hour. The taller the bar, the more likely the animal was active at that hour. Leon Levy, Brownell, Marx, Mountain Lakes, and Pound Ridge are all names of parks and preserves where the pilot study took place.

How Many Are There?

Here’s what we estimated the population densities to be:

• 0.743 per sq km. (0.003/ac) for coyotes. They were more likely to be seen in mixed hardwood-coniferous woodland and riparian habitats (e.g., near creeks and rivers).
• 2.737 per sq km (0.011/ac) for white-tailed deer. They were more likely to be seen in riparian habitat.
• 1.571 per sq km (0.006/ac) for raccoons, which were most likely to be found in mixed forests.

Finally, from what we’ve observed so far, the people in northeastern Westchester County tend to feel quite positively about wildlife. However, coyotes tend to be the focus of much concern and misinformation. Plus, black bears seem to be the subject of neutral sentiments with simultaneous awareness of risky bear attractants, such as gardens and bird feeders.

Guided by the results of our pilot study, we will continue this project from Fall-Spring 2025-2028. We invite aspiring community scientists of all ages across the nation to join us!

Read the full pilot study report here.