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Springtime New Arrival


Springtime New Arrival
Photo Information
Copyright: Rick Price (Adanac) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 1 N: 5208] (17609)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-04-30
Categories: Mammals
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/1000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-05-02 7:42
Viewed: 636
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Springtime is the time for new arrivals and this sweet thing is a baby Cottontail. So tiny and fragile looking, you wonder what life has in store for him. Part of me wanted to scoop him up and protect him, but I also realise, maybe a new family of hawks survival may depend on him. Such is Nature.
Mountain Cottontail
Sylvilagus nuttallii
General Description

By Gustave J. Yaki


The Mountain or Nuttall's Cottontail ranges throughout the western Great Plains region from Arizona north into southern Saskatchewan and southeast Alberta. It inhabits mountainous foothills only in parts of its USA range.

In Alberta, the current distribution of this rabbit is south of an east-west line from Endiang to Sibbald (southeast of Red Deer), to the international border. It occurs in the Red Deer River valley at Drumheller and the Bow River at Carseland. It is most common along the Milk River. The species was first recorded in Alberta in 1917 and may still be expanding its range northward, perhaps due to global warming.

It is mainly an inhabitant of coulees and river bottomlands, rocky valley sides, scrubby bush lands or arid sagebrush areas. It finds shelter in banks, badger or ground squirrel burrows, among rocks or under human-created brush or lumber piles or abandoned machinery. It prefers edges where it can feed in the open, and if necessary, quickly dash into protective brushy cover. It often spends the day resting in a sheltered ‘form', usually in dense, shrubby vegetation.

Unlike hares which change colour with the seasons, the Nuttall's Cottontail retains a greyish pelage all year. Its sides are paler than the back. The nape of the neck is rufous, as are the back of its thighs. The short, powder-puff tail is grey on top, white below, as is its underside. The endearing eyes are coal black. The rounded ears are usually shorter than those of the somewhat similar-sized Snowshoe Hare, whose range it seldom overlaps.

Measurements of average adult males are: total length, 385 mm (15.5 in); tail, 40 mm (1.6 in); ear, 65 mm (2.6 in); weight, 978 g (2.15 lb). Adult females are slightly larger, and weigh significantly more at 1167 g (1.57 lb).

Like most other rabbits and hares, it is most active after dusk the year round, but may be observed on heavy overcast days, especially in the early morning hours. It is strictly a vegetarian, feeding on grasses and herbaceous plantlife in summer. Where available, the winter diet includes sagebrush and juniper berries. It also then relies on twigs, buds and the bark of woody plants.

Mating takes place in spring and about 30 days later the female delivers two to eight young, in a shallow depression that she has dug and lined with grass and her own abdominal fur. Within hours of giving birth, she is bred again, thus producing two or three litters a season. She avoids approaching the nest (but is quick to lead potential predators away), visiting it only once or twice a day, lying over the top while nursing the young. If seen, most observers would not realize what she is up to, nor that there is clutch of young below her. The young grow quickly and are on their own before the next litter arrives, reaching sexual maturity between two and three months of age.
MMM, PaulH, jaycee, ramthakur, nglen, lovenature, bobair, vanderschelden, bettinamarie has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Rick,
No, this must be a Snowshoe Hare (just kidding ;) What a beautiful baby and a superb capture of it. Nature is nature in fact and it can be so cruel in our perception but, it goes on like this and has its own law...

I hope that this cute fellow will have the chance to become a healthy big girl or guy and that the hawks could find something else to eat... Fish maybe? :) Thanks for sharing this beautiful picture.
Claudine

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 921 W: 0 N: 1985] (8905)
  • [2007-05-02 8:59]

Hi Rick
What a nice picture of that cottontail you have here .The picture is very sharp,I like the details that see in the fur.Also very good POV.
TFS Michel

  • Great 
  • ridvan Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 555 W: 0 N: 1134] (5196)
  • [2007-05-02 11:45]

selam rick; interesting rabbit, amazing macro . nice colours, sharpness and details are wonderful! Excellent POV and pose
Thank you for sharing,
All the best
ridvan

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 23 N: 3656] (13083)
  • [2007-05-02 11:56]

Hi Rick,

Fantastic details here, you can almost count the hairs! He may well be lunch by now, but as you say, that may not be a bad thing really.

tfs,

Paul

This is a wonderful sharp image with great natural color Rick. The only nit would be that it is hard to tell the scale. I didn't realize it was a tiny baby until I read your note. I know there are grasses etc. but I didn't pick up on the scale right away.

TFS
Evelynn : )

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2007-05-02 11:59]

Hi Rick,

Wonderful shot of the baby. The face and fur is wonderful. I've been watching several of them in my yard and I am also tempted to run out and kidnap one. Especially when the Roadrunner is in the neighborhood. Great job!

Jane

Lovely shot of this cute baby Cottontail, Rick. Hope he does not fall victim to a hawk!
I love those fine details on its face and that innocent expression in its eyes.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2907 W: 34 N: 8619] (32124)
  • [2007-05-02 16:11]

Hi Rick. This is a very nice shot of the cottontail. very cute, great shot and detail in the fur and eyes, good and sharp with a nice low POV.well done.
Nick

  • Great 
  • demeve Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 603 W: 11 N: 1627] (5989)
  • [2007-05-02 16:19]

Hello Rick, nice shot from this baby cottontail, I really like the pose..well done..

I'm rooting for the Cottontail to Rick. I must say that the Cottontail is a super cute bunny. It's nice to see the babies are out already. I like this pose as he trying to be invisible. Nice detail of his fur, it almost looks a bit curly. I wish the bunny a safe year.
TFS Janice

  • Great 
  • bobair Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 397 W: 118 N: 1419] (5126)
  • [2007-05-02 22:17]

Hi Rick,
ah shucks!Cute little critter this one is.Very good colour and focus with a nice POV.I can't say I blame if you wanted to take this one home with you but you really did the right thing in the end because if it is meant to survive it will as it is nature's way.Tfs. Bob

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-05-02 23:22]

Hello Rick

A cute shot of this bunny.The details are sharp and the colours are natural.Does he really think he is hiding from you? Wonderful detail in the eye and whiskers.A gem.TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2007-05-03 12:27]

Hi Rick,
this little cottentail is very cut and this composition is fit for a storybook. Very nice colors and great sharp details.
Sky

Très belle prise de vue, beaucoup de détails et belle composition.
Bravo
Marie

  • Great 
  • GLEM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 526 W: 87 N: 697] (6115)
  • [2007-05-05 4:46]

hi Rick,
encore moi....là c'est encore génial, il me fait penser à la proie attrappée par le rapace, il semble se comoufler pour y échapper.
Une belle image nature avec de très bons détails.

tfs
gaetan

Hi Rick,
That is a very sharp one...:-)
Great wildlife shot...
Congrats
Annick

Hello Rick,
Wow....I guess I am in a cute mode today and you have quite a few cute photos in your gallery! I am sure this bunny is going to have a long and happy life....hahhahaha! Beautiful detail, color and clarity. I am not sure why others are not sure of the size? It is quite obvious to me with the small grass beside the bunny that it is a youngster! Hmmm....maybe you are just too perfect and they have to find something wrong?! hahahahaha! Thank you for the nice cute bunny photo!

Take care,
Bettina Marie =0)

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