Looks like the neighbors have their own bunnies

This kit one is too small to be part of our litter.  But it has a better roof over its head with an entire deck...

 

 

What did I see today?

I never know what I'll see when I look in the woods.  Most days nothing.  Some days coyotes.  Today I saw wings flapping and I could tell our resident Turkey Vultures were looking for something.  I know they are nesting on the edge of the woods facing the pond.  It seems to be a staging area for quite a few.  I don't usually see them fly through the woods but today I saw four vultures lighting on the ground and on logs.  As I was taking these pictures, they got bothered and flew away.  Ugly birds but impressive wings and wingspans.

Here's what I captured...

 

Here's a video clip you can only see ON the blog...

 

And then I took Russ out and as I usually do walked to the top of the hill and as I usually do was carrying my camera with me and saw these ladies.  It was sunny so pretty clear shots and you can see them leaving bothered by my presence...

I covered the nest yesterday

This is the first time I've watched a nest of rabbits so closely so I didn't know what to expect.  But we are not seeing any little ones and I'm not sure what to make of the recent sightings of what we think was the mother.  I do know they are big enough to be on their own so it was time.  But not before one last visitor...

Here are close-ups of the nest...

And filled in...

And final inspections from Russell...

Video of the coyote yesterday

(Ruth, you won't be able to see this in the e-mail you receive...it's viewable on my blog only)

This was yesterday morning just before 8am.  Feel free to mute Russ...



Black and white

On my way back from the dentist, these American white Pelicans caught my eye.  This was taken along some backwater off Pennsylvania Ave just north of Lutheran Hospital near the Des Moines River.  They are migrating.  I've seen them flying over our house in formation.  Quite the sight.

Mixed in are some Double-crested Cormorants...

 

While getting close enough to take the photos above, I encountered this family of Canada Geese...

Most recent rabbit sighting an early morning visitor

This was from just after midnight Saturday so early Sunday morning.  No pictures from last night/early morning...

 

Life is difficult for our furry friends with visitors like this coyote we saw this morning (one of two that came through just before 8am)...

 

Mama back (we think it's her) and wondering what she's up to...

Typically a wild rabbit will not use the same nest again but another rabbit could.  So it may be time to fill it in...

She's back! But doing what...?

It's been a week since we've seen "mama".  Well, we assume this is the mama.  So what is she doing?  Realizing her kits are gone?  I'm sure she knows that but it looks like she's looking around for them...

Still seeing two...

I'd like to think we have more than two...I just can't verify it definitively with a picture.  And no sign of mama so her job may be done.

First, here is a picture of what Russ experiences when we go outside...

And here are pictures from last evening.  We see in a few of the pictures.  Cindy thought she was seeing "eyes" in the hutch but if you look through the photos, those "lights" don't move...

 

Look by the steps for the second one

A sighting at 1:05am and tracks this morning

Here is a picture from a little after 1am this morning...

And evidence of tiny tracks just outside our fence and by the "hutch" (wouldn't be able to see without the snow)...

Snow and a rabbit rescue

So we had snow overnight. 

 

Birds like this Northern Flicker were dealing with the elements...

 

I didn't get any pictures on my trail camera due to the snow.  We haven't seen mama since Wednesday and going into today, we weren't sure we still have kits (bunnies) and how many.  They are probably big enough to survive but we're not sure.

Here is my camera this morning...



Here is the hutch after the overnight snow...

 

Time to sweep for Russ and me and clear a little for the bunnies?

 

 

Look closely at these next two pictures.  Look under the deck and all the way back and see if you see eyes lighting up from the camera.  Signs of life...

 

So I've been looking for signs of our bunnies and I've been checking our very deep window well because I have pulled a bunny out last year and certainly voles, toads and frogs find their way down there.  Lo and behold this afternoon I found two scared kits down in the well. 

 

 

I came out with my trusty Folgers coffee "can" and quickly realized they had grown a bit so I went back inside for a plastic tub to get them out.  As you can expect they wanted nothing to do with me but got them in one at a time and dumped them out on the ground.  They both scampered under the deck.

 

Remember the picture above.  I believe we see eyes under the deck while there are two bunnies in the "hole".  So I have to think we have more than two left and possibly all four.

 

So look at this picture.  I'm going up the stairs and you can clearly see two eyes under the deck...

 

 

With a successful rescue, I put my camera back out and got these images shortly after...

 

 

Turned out to be an encouraging day.