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...

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.



Still seeing little ones

We thought maybe they were gone.  Didn't have much from overnight Thursday to Friday.

Here is the only daytime activity yesterday.  A Dark-eyed Junco checking out the "hutch"...

I saw these three huddled against the fence last night.  I took Russ out front on a leash last night for his business and he got it done.  Had heavy rain overnight.  Hoping they are finding cover.

 

Got this image before the rain started...

 

 

 

We have not seen mama since Wednesday evening. 

Starting to see some daytime activity

After spotting a kit diving back in the nest yesterday, I moved the trailcam and here you can see one by the "door".



Last night looked like the night before.  Roaming and exploring.  Going under the deck.  I was concerned when I took Russ out at about 9pm because he spotted one just outside of our back fence.  But in reviewing pictures, we seem to have all four accounted for (assuming we have four).  The one I saw could have come back, been chased back by mama or it was from a different litter.

We have babies!

Well the baby watch is over!  We've been watching the doe come every night to nurse and check on her litter and last evening between about 8:10pm and 8:45pm, what appears to be four kits (kittens) ventured out.

As you look through the pictures, watch for the eyes lighting up from the camera to help you see where they are.  Some got over to the deck.

UPDATE AS OF THIS MORNING (Wednesday April 11)

I was out with Russ and looked inside the crate and saw a kit (bunny) pop back down in the nest so I will now be watching for them to explore around the nest until they are ready to be on their own.  And so now the worrying really begins!  I did move the camera closer and at an angle that can see inside.  I will do that for daytime and move back at night.