In general, I’ve tried to respect the coyotes privacy, and not publish any information about their locations or where to find them. However, two articles have made public that they’ve been using the Delacorte Theater, one in Smithsonian Magazine and today’s article in the New York Times. So, I’m comfortable sharing some information, now that the “cat’s out of the bag” for this one location.

(In the NYT article, Patrick Willingham is quoted as saying, “A friend sent me a picture from Smithsonian Magazine in late June by two photographers who had captured a pair of coyotes sunbathing in the new Delacorte’s bleachers.” The picture was taken at night, so “resting by moonlight” might have been a better description.)

The coyotes patrol the park at night but also rest in safe spaces free of humans and dogs. These refuges exist all throughout the park. I’ve found eight of them, but I’m sure there are more. They are “rest stops” as they explore the park at night.

This winter and spring, the coyotes most popular rest stop was the construction site of the Delacorte Theater. It was a huge area containing Shakespeare Garden, which was then closed to build an ADA compliant walkway, the theater, a large temporary construction area north of the theater, and is adjacent to Turtle Pond, which is fenced off at night. It was a safe place for them. Except for security guards (who rarely patrolled the construction site), it was a free of anything that could disturb them.

It was also a great spot to explore from and return to in case there was “trouble”. Before the park closes at 1am, the coyotes must deal with humans and dogs getting in their way. So, they also used the Delacorte as a “home base”, if their early evening explorations encountered too many people or dogs.

Now that the construction has been completed and rehearsals have started for the August production of Twelfth Night, the coyotes are avoiding the theater from what I can see. They are very shy. They used the theater when it was dark, and now stage lights keep the theater lit all night. The coyotes have plenty of other places to hang out in the park, and they’ll be just fine giving up their playground to the Public Theater for a few weeks!

There is a chance they might still be visiting after the park is closed at 1am. But there is almost no chance, they’ll join a performance onstage! (Although, they did join a performance of the New York Philharmonic.)

So don’t expect to see them if you are lucky enough to get tickets to Twelfth Night.

Although folks had been watching the coyotes in the theater this winter, (and in prior years when the park only had a single coyote,) I only started watching them in April. I had purchased a thermal monocular, and was finally able to track the coyotes at night.

My first encounter with them at the Delacorte was in early April.

This is a thermal image of them. Black is heat, and white is cold not snow. Here they are exploring the theater with most of the seats still to be installed.

While I got to see them on and off in the theater during April, it was difficult to photograph them. It is usually pitch black in the theater at night.

In May, I was able to take some pictures of them onstage. They both took a nap on top of a load of plywood.

The coyotes would also use a fenced in construction area just north of the theater at night to rest and relax. Below are photographs from May.

They continued to roam through the theater seats and play onstage. But by mid-May the trees had leafed out and it was becoming hard to see much of the theater from the terrace of Belvedere Castle.

In June and early July, much of the same behavior continued. A new highlight was watching one of them eat a Brown Rat on a lawn just north of the theater.

A firefly photobombs one of the coyotes in July.

The Public has a great cast for Twelfth Nigh to inaugurate the renovated theater this August. They should have a wonderful, if too brief of a season. New York City welcomes free theater back to Central Park.

However, I suspect the coyotes will be happy to celebrate the final curtain call, so they can return to using one of their safe havens during the theater’s off season. This pair of coyotes has already been giving some great performances in and around the theater this year! Here are some of them…