Tag Archives: rabbit

You Weren’t Expecting Me Were You?

We did some work on our backyard this year including replacing the grass.  Previously, the rabbits had been giving free reign in the yard since the grass was in poor condition.  Once we replaced it, it was time to stop them coming in and “spreading weeds”.  We have successfully blocked most of the access points that they had but there are still some areas where they have been tenacious enough to find a way in.  I stepped out on to the deck recently with camera in hand.  There, right in front of me, was a rabbit.  I was quite surprised and it looked pretty surprised by me for a moment too.  I grabbed a couple of shots of its slightly startled look and then, as soon as I moved, it bolted.  I encouraged it back out the way it had come and then replaced whatever it had pushed out of the way.  The battle continues…

Cannon Beach Black Bunny Population

We were walking through Cannon Beach back towards our hotel when we saw a couple of black rabbits eating grass by the road.  They didn’t seem easily spooked by our presence and we walked on our way.  A little internet searching when we were back in the hotel explained that there is a population of black rabbits in Cannon Beach that are descended from rabbits that people have released.  They are big rabbits compared to those we see around here.

I decided to grab the camera late one afternoon to see if I could get any photos of them.  I didn’t have long to look but figured it was worth a try.  I had walked about ten meters when I saw my first rabbits.  There were a bunch of them within a block of the hotel.  I saw some on an open area of grass and one that was closer to me did run away towards a bush.  It them leapt up on top of the bush and stayed there chewing on the leaves.  Never seen anything like that before!

Stalking the Rabbits

We get a lot of rabbits in the back garden.  They are a bit of a nuisance, but our yard is not good enough to justify the effort to do battle with them getting in.  Instead, I accept their presence and consider them a photographic subject instead.  Getting photos of them usually means subdued light.  During the brighter parts of the day, they stay out of the sun and then follow the shadows across the grass as they eat.

I have tried to stalk them to get shots from a lower angle where possible.  They are clearly a twitchy bunch and quite unwilling to hang around while I am moving about unless I stay far enough away.  Therefore, some cautious movements and picking a spot and hoping them come to you is in order.  Here are some more shots of the visitors.

Resting Rabbits Are Visiting

We get a ton of rabbits in our yard.  They happily eat our grass and spread the seeds of weeds amongst our grass.  We figure it is a battle we will lose so why fight it.  Instead, we watch out for them.  Most of the time they are chomping away on the grass.  Occasionally, if it is warm or they are feeling relaxed, we might see them stretch out and take a rest.  Here are some of the resting poses of rabbits.  If we appear, they instantly return to alert status.

Baseball Mitt Sculpture

I went down into the middle of Woodinville to try and get pictures of the smoke from the wildfires.  I ended up walking alongside the playing fields that are usually so busy with various sports.  At this time, they were empty.  What I had never noticed when driving by is that they have a sculpture by the fields of a baseball mitt.  This bronze sculpture has the mitt and a bunch of rabbits.  I am not sure what the meaning of the rabbits is but maybe it is designed to appeal to kids that are at the park to play their sports.

Rabbit Rescue

A slightly sad tale for this post.  We get plenty of wildlife in our backyard including loads of rabbits.  They come in to much the grass all the time.  They are a combination of cute and inconvenient since they tend to spread a lot of seeds for things we don’t want in our grass.  Such is the way of nature of course.  Most days we will see one or more of them out there but they disappear quickly if we go outside.

One weekend morning Nancy looked out and saw one on the grass but not looking normal.  We went out to check what was going on and the rabbit seemed to have some injury which was preventing it from moving properly.  Without the ability to examine it, I thought its leg was hurt.  We pondered what to do.  Meanwhile, a bunch of crows started gathering on the fence sensing a meal.  They flew off when we went outside but the rabbit had moved itself somehow behind the aircon unit.  We know that nature has a course in these things but figured, if there was something we could do for the little thing, we should at least make an effort.  If it wasn’t going to make it, so be it.

A call to a rescue service told us that we should bring it to them and they would assess it.  Despite its injuries, the flight mentality was strong and it was not easy to scoop up.  However, I managed to get it wrapped up in a towel and into a box on another towel and off to PAWS in Lynnwood.  They did an evaluation and confirmed that this was definitely a fixable issue but not by them.  Off to Sarvey in Granite Falls.  This bun was getting quite a road trip.  We dropped it off with them which is when I took the picture above.  I hadn’t wanted to photograph it if it wasn’t going to make it since that seemed wrong somehow but, with someone taking care of it, I decided a photo was okay.

All this effort for one rabbit might seem strange when so many must die every day but it seemed like the right thing to do and it introduced us to two good organizations that deserve support.

Backyard Rabbits Are My Current Wildlife Photography Subject

When looking for wildlife photography opportunities, the one thing I have close to home at the moment is the local rabbit population.  We get a steady stream of these guys coming through the back yard and eating what could loosely pass for grass in my yard.  We get some bigger buns and there are some tiny looking ones that I assume are young rather than a different breed.  They are usually pretty jumpy so getting shots is not always easy but a couple of them seem pretty relaxed with me showing up.

Bunnies Evade the Kids

I had stopped off by Lake Washington to get some late afternoon photos and, as I walked back up to the parking lot, a couple of rabbits were snacking along the path.  Since the camera was still out, I figured I would get some quick shots.  Unfortunately, a family was following me up the trail and the kids spotted the rabbits.  Being young kids, their instinct was to run to the rabbits – it won’t surprise you to know that the rabbits did not hang around to see if their intentions were good.  I did get a couple of shots before they had vanished.

Jackrabbit

AU0E3419.jpgPhotographing aircraft can often involve quiet times when you are waiting for something to show up. Sometimes, you can get so relaxed and still that you cease to be apparent to the local wildlife. I was sitting at the top of a hill on a bench doing nothing much at all. A jackrabbit came wandering along the trail towards me. He wasn’t terribly close and only seemed to notice me relatively late. He didn’t seem too alarmed but was a bit wary. Even so, I was able to raise my camera to get a shot or two of him.

This didn’t startle him either. However, he obviously had other things in mind and he turned and hopped off down the trail. I wonder which one of us was more surprised?

Ardenwood Historic Farm

wpid10949-AU0E6927.jpgIf you head across the Dumbarton Bridge at Fremont, you will pass Ardenwood Historic Farm. On the right side of the highway as you head towards the bay, this farm has been a feature of the area for over 100 years although it is now a fraction of its former size. However, it is now under the control of the East Bay Parks District and open for the public to visit. It is a combination of little bits of what a farm would be. You could say it perpetuates some of the myths you have as kids about what farms are like since we grow up thinking that all farms have a bit of everything rather than just being a cattle farm, growing a single crop or raising chickens en masse.

wpid10941-AU0E6895.jpgHowever, it does provide an opportunity to see some aspects of an old style farm much as they once were. The farmhouse itself is quite impressive. The family that owned it became quite influential in the area and had the house to match. The grounds are nicely laid out and it was a pleasant spot to spend some time as the chickens that were scrabbling around in the dirt near us also seemed to think.

wpid10937-AU0E6877.jpgThere are goats, sheep, pigs, horses and cows in the grounds. They get a lot of attention from the visitors and we were no exception. The goats were the most active seeming to be more interested in the leaves on a tree above a bench in their enclosure than the food that they had been provided. A couple of the kids were desperately reaching under a fence. I guess the grass really is greener…