Something wily — a coyote? — seen at Robert Moses park

There may be a new predator in town: A coyote seems to have found its way to Robert Moses State Park on Long Island’s South Shore.

While the first pictures from surveillance cameras were not definitive, the state parks department hopes to capture clearer video.

Dan Keefe, spokesman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said by email, “We have captured images of what appears to be a coyote at Robert Moses.”

“We will continue monitoring for activity and consult with (the) Department of Environmental Conservation on any needed steps.”

The possible sighting follows reports earlier this week that another coyote now calls New York City’s Central Park home.

For decades, coyotes have been migrating east, scientists say, replacing gray wolves who were slaughtered en masse. Bounties were paid on wolves until the early 1800s, according to New York State Conservationist magazine. 

The other explanation, scientists say, is that coyotes are returning to their former homes after clear-cutting drove them out, possibly centuries ago.

The species, once found mainly on Midwest prairies, first was seen in western Ontario in the early 1900s, experts said. They reached New York by the 1920s, and then established populations in New England, according to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.

New York State has 20,000 to 30,000 coyotes — almost all upstate, according to the DEC.

While possibly a first for Robert Moses, the DEC said it confirmed there was one coyote in eastern Long Island, around Watermill and Bridgehampton, in 2013.

“We have received a handful of confirmed sightings of this single coyote each year,” a DEC spokeswoman said by email.

It could not confirm sightings of another coyote in Middle Island — about 65 miles east of Manhattan — in January 2017.

However, “In the summer of 2018, a coyote sighting in Roslyn/Searingtown area — around 25 miles east of Manhattan — was confirmed through multiple recorded videos,” the DEC said.

Coyotes mate for life, and February happens to be when they breed; their pups mature in about 9 months and can travel as far as 100 miles or so looking for their own mates, experts say.

Their menu would please any nutritionist recommending a varied diet — they eat everything from berries to small mammals. Like any other wildlife, they might find garbage attractive, so experts advise keeping it tightly enclosed.

On Long Island, cars could be the coyotes’ worst enemy — limiting how many Long Islanders ever hear their distinctive howls, known as serenades to their admirers. Said the DEC: “Abundant food resources exist on Long island to support coyotes but the difficulty of navigating Long Island’s busy roadways might limit their spread onto Long Island.”

As with any wildlife, the standard cautions apply: Do not feed coyotes because their natural fear of humans keeps them, and us, safe.

For more information, see dec.ny.gov/animals/9359.html and esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/coyote/coyote.htm.