Weird News: Coyote Spotted in Water Mill

As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to inspiring tales of community brotherhood. But some stories are just plain weird. Here are some of the stranger headlines from the past seven days.

DEC: Coyote Sighted in Water Mill

The first confirmed sighting of a coyote on Long Island took place late last week on a Water Mill farm, and the New York State Department of Conservation is investigating whether the canine is alone or one of several that have taken up residence on the East End.

The farmer snapped of photo of the animal, and the DEC said Tuesday it is has been positively identified as a coyote.

Frank Vincenti, the director of the Wild Dog Foundation, said this is the first coyote sighting this fast east of the New York City border. There have been several sightings in Queens and there is one resident coyote there, he said.

Past sightings on Long Island have been debunked as misidentifications. "I investigate claims from people throughout Long Island, and they turn out to be fox," Vincenti said.

Vincenti and the DEC agreed that it is unclear how a coyote could have made it to Water Mill.

"As to how the coyote entered the area, it is purely speculation," said DEC spokesman Bill Fonda.

Bridgehampton’s Main Street has become home to a small horde of zombies. They seem mostly to keep to their nest in the Hampton Library’s young adult reading room. That might be because they’re cardboard.

This summer, the library’s young adult section has gotten quite a makeover, complete with caution tape, zombie decorations and a color-coded warning poster that indicates today’s yellow Elevated Zombie Threat Level. Apparently only one person, an adult, ran out screaming. According to library director Kelly Harris, “The kids love it.”

The library’s new “Summer of the Unread” initiative to encourage teenagers to read while out of school came from disappointment with the New York State literacy themes for the season, “groundbreaking literature” and “Dig Into Reading,” Harris said. Feeling that these more general themes were a little played out, the library decided to go another direction with the flexible verbs digging and groundbreaking.