Paul, walking along Longfellow Creek with his daughter this morning, caught something unusual on video: a coyote fishing in the creek. Paul recorded the footage while walking with his daughter, Ilana, along the waterway on the morning of Nov. 1, 2026, and sent it in to share what he saw.
The sighting landed right in the middle of salmon season on Longfellow Creek, which winds through east West Seattle. According to West Seattle Blog, which published Paul’s video, coyotes have been known to show up around the creek when the fish are running. Earlier in October, the outlet reported that salmon season had already arrived in the creek, noting that readers had sent in a video and photo of salmon spotted by the footbridge at Southwest Yancy Street next to the West Seattle Health Club.
The timing tracks with what’s typically expected from the creek’s annual run. Coho salmon spawn in Longfellow Creek from October through December, while chum salmon can be seen there in November, per ParentMap. In most years, the outlet notes, salmon reliably spawn in this particular West Seattle waterway, making it one of the more dependable local spots to catch sight of the run.
A Creek That's Long Drawn Both Fish and Predators
Longfellow Creek isn't just a narrow trickle behind people's backyards — it drains more than 2,000 acres of urbanized land as it flows through Roxhill, Delridge and West Seattle, according to the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance. That same organization recorded more than 113 sightings of live coho during 60 daily surveys back in 2016, underscoring just how active the creek can get once the run begins.
Coyotes showing up for an easy meal isn't exactly new territory for this stretch of water, either. West Seattle Blog reported a coyote spotted near the creek eating a snake back in 2011, and documented another sighting in the Longfellow Creek Holding Basin near 24th Southwest in 2017. Those earlier sightings suggest the creek corridor has functioned as a quiet hunting ground for coyotes for well over a decade.
Why Sightings Tend to Spike This Time of Year
Seattle-area coyotes have become an increasingly common sight across the city and King County, including in parks, green spaces and residential neighborhoods, reporting from Axios Seattle shows. KNKX Public Radio has also reported increased fall and winter coyote sightings around Seattle and King County.
Thinner fall and winter vegetation plays a role, too. Coyote sightings tend to increase in fall and winter around Seattle and King County in part because reduced plant cover makes the animals easier to spot and because they may range farther in search of food, according to KNKX Public Radio. That same report pointed to a recent uptick in daytime coyote encounters near Volunteer Park and the Washington Park Arboretum, suggesting the pattern isn't limited to West Seattle.
Researchers Are Tracking Seattle's Urban Carnivores
Seattle's urban wildlife is also the subject of ongoing academic study. Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle University have launched the Seattle Urban Carnivore Project to examine how mammalian carnivores live alongside people across urban and suburban parts of the Seattle region, according to the zoo.
The project leans heavily on remote cameras and public reporting to build its picture of the region's wildlife. Between 25 and 45 cameras are deployed each month across greater Seattle green spaces, the zoo says, while its Carnivore Spotter tool — launched in August 2019 — had logged more than 6,500 public observations of local carnivores within its first two years.
What to Know Before an Encounter
Before anyone takes action in a wildlife conflict, state guidance urges caution about the legal status of the animal involved. All mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians found in the wild in Washington are protected or regulated under state and federal law, and their legal status should be confirmed before any action is taken, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. For residents walking near Longfellow Creek or other salmon-bearing waterways this fall, that guidance is a reminder that watching from a distance remains the safest approach as the coyotes and the salmon they're drawn to continue sharing the same stretch of water.
