@ZooBinh Yes I was quite close, though I was using a 500mm lens. Most of them run away when they see people but this one was quite relaxed. In fact I had to move back a bit when I first saw it because it was too close for the lens to focus!
They are quite common at this location (I have gone a couple times since, including this morning, and see them without fail). Sweetwater Wetlands is a human-made wetlands run by the City of Tucson Water Department to recharge their treated wastewater. It is a wildlife haven and although there are some industrial buildings directly on the east side of it, the west side abuts the Santa Cruz River. Although the "river" is dry most of the time it does work as a corridor for animals to pass through. In the winter there are numerous birds species and less so in summer, though still some residents. When I was there this morning, after photographing a raccoon in a tree, I (and some fellow photographers) were told by a woman birdwatching that she had just seen coyotes moving pups from their den in the catchment basin below the main pond. Sure enough they were there with very small (2-3 week?) pups, but visitors are not allowed into that area and they were too far away for very good shots (even with my 500mm lens). However there is a bike path that runs directly behind it that would provide a closer view. I ran around to it, but it's a ways to get to the path access point and then walk back to the basin, so by the time I got there the pups had been moved into thick brush and I only got a shot of one adult on the bank. However now that I know where they are I am going to keep trying the path, starting with sunset today (leaving in about an hour).
