Are coyote sightings in residential Cupertino cause for alarm?

DEAR JOAN: We have seen a coyote in our neighborhood three times in the past two weeks. Of course, I don’t know if it’s the same one every time.

We have seen a coyote on Palos Verdes Drive between Castleton Street and Terrace Drive, then again on Castleton Street between Sutherland Avenue and Chadwick Place, and most recently on Janice Avenue between Mira Vista Road and Palo Vista Road.

Should something be done about it? If so, how do we report it?

— Ken Mintz, Cupertino

DEAR KEN: Coyotes living in urbanized and developed areas are extremely common not only in the Bay Area, but around the country. Coyotes are native to California with evidence of their existence here dating back 40,000 years.

As their natural habitats have been lost to development and human expansion, the coyotes have learned to adapt and found living in and around cities, and humans, fairly easy. They find plenty of food in the form of rats, squirrels, wild turkeys and, sadly, stray and wandering pets, and make their homes in the parks and open space.

In the overall scheme of things, we’re more dangerous to coyotes than they are to us. The most common cause of death for coyotes in the Bay Area is traffic strikes.

It’s not to say coyotes don’t pose a threat. Most are fearful and shy, and avoid human interaction.

As long as you’re cautious, you don’t need to fear them. If you encounter one, stay calm, stand tall and slowly back away; do not run. Make loud noises and try to make yourself look as big as possible.

Unless the coyote is harming or threatening people or wildlife, there’s nothing to do. You should let your neighbors know so they can keep their smaller pets and children safe, and you can report the sightings to Bay Area Coyote (bayareacoyote.org), a coalition that studies and keeps tabs on the coyote population and fosters coexistence between the animals and humans.

DEAR JOAN: I have twice been bitten by a mystery bug in my backyard. Each time, I felt a slightly painful bite and quickly brushed it off, so I have not gotten a really good look at the perpetrator, but it appears basically like, well, a line, about 5/16 of an inch long and less than 1/16-inch thick. The first one seemed dark-colored, the second one more green.

In both cases, the bite was not very noticeable the rest of the day, but on the second and subsequent days it became extremely itchy, much more than a typical mosquito bite.

— Alice Jurow, Berkeley

DEAR ALICE: I’d been researching an answer for you when I got nailed by what I think were the same little buggers that got you. I now have a shot-glass sized welt on the back of my leg, which I will wear as a badge of dedication.

I think the culprit is the green assassin bug, which doesn’t feed on human blood and supposedly only attacks humans when provoked. We must have encountered some short-tempered ones. The good news is they don’t spread any diseases, just discomfort for a couple of days.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at [email protected].