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The Sun Still has Warmth


The Sun Still has Warmth
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: 2007-12-11
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon 20D, Canon 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/1000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2007-12-14 4:37
Viewed: 1106
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This Mountain Cottontail rabbit was warming himself in the Milk River valley at Writing On Stone. The sun was warm if you stayed out of the wind and thats just what this little guy was doing.

Mountain Cottontail
Sylvilagus nuttallii
Also known as - Nuttall's Cottontail.


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, vanderschelden, mariki, NinaM, Evelynn, eqshannon, Argus, jaycee, jmp, Luis52, mvdisco, Debz, bobair, lovenature has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 924 W: 0 N: 1995] (8957)
  • [2007-12-14 4:44]

Hi Rick
Excellent capture of that rabbit.Excellent pose and sharp image.Details in the fur and catch light in the eye are very nice.
TFS Michel

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2007-12-14 4:52]

Hello Rick,
cute shot of this fluffed up rabbit.
I'm amazed at how close you get to your subjects!!
If I was within 10m of this fellow he would scamper off!
You've exposed the photo perfectly and the lighting is nice and soft.
Great pose and composition.
Well done mate,
Joe

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1115 W: 23 N: 3667] (13111)
  • [2007-12-14 5:00]

There's nothing like the sight of a small fluffy Rabbit to warm the soul is there? Wonderful lighting here which has been well exposed, great detail in his fur and loveky natural colour. i like your low POV too, well done Rick.
tfs and have a great weekend,
Paul

Hello Rick,
I notice the cottontail doesn't change the colour during winter, like the hares!
Cute little fellow is well captured, fine details in fur and face...
Low point of view works well, nice composition!
Greetings,
Pablo -

very nice pic, TFS Ori

Well done, Rick.
Very good sharpness and beautiful light.
WGreetigs and
TFS
Annick

Hello Rick,

Very beautiful picture of this cute rabbit. Excellent light and beautiful soft colours.
Well done,
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • NinaM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 801 W: 3 N: 2100] (6596)
  • [2007-12-14 7:42]

Hi Rick, you get real close to the animals, it's incredible to approach a nervous rabbit like you did. It's so nice to see all the details and the very accurate colours are beautiful. Thank you,

Francine

hello rick,
nice shot with a good title, liked the pose and the eye contact, the natural light looks good, well composed shot,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Ahhh. Bunnies always have that "ahhh" factor. : ) I love seeing it in such a lovely natural setting. The exposure is wonderful and I think the sharpness is too... though I think it would benefit from a bit of computer sharpening. Images taken with that lens usually sharpen up nicely.

TFS
Evelynn

This one is right where he belongs...in the natural wilderness in which he is home and hides well I imagine. Most of the rabbits I had in the mountains were very good hiders but in winter I could track them for a ways....Very nice addition.
Bob

Hi Rick,
Fine shot of this rabbit.
Great unobstucted POV.
Good light. Could use some sharpening.
TFS
Richard
PS: I did a Work Shop to sharpen.
IMO sharpening gave more life to the rabbit's face.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2924 W: 34 N: 8671] (32310)
  • [2007-12-14 9:13]

Hi , short of time having to work late just marking your good picture for now.

Nick..

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3831 W: 190 N: 11410] (35161)
  • [2007-12-14 12:26]

Hello Rick,
Fine winter close-up of a Cottontail that has direct eye contact with you. Great low POV with good sharpness and excellent light management with the snow. Well done and thanks for sharing this one.
Have a good weekend,
Ivan

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2007-12-14 13:11]

Hi Rick,

Wonderful close-up of this rabbit "warming up in the snow." Wonder if our cottontails would survive that. The shot is so great because it is so natural. Colors, fur, eye are marvelous.

Jane

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1740 W: 95 N: 2273] (8411)
  • [2007-12-14 14:41]

Hi Rick,
A tender and beautiful capture. Wonderful pose, light and pov.
TFS, José M.

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 5 N: 3457] (12761)
  • [2007-12-14 17:09]

Hola Rick.- Bella la foto de este Conajo buscando su comida en la nieve.
Foto muy nitida y con exelente iluminacion, el entorno que le rodea es muy bello tambien.
Saludos y gracias por compartir.
Luis52.

Hi Rick,
Lovely catch of this young fellow, excellent pose and clear and sharp picture, beautiful details in the fur very well done.
Michel

Hi Rick,
This one is different from the Rack Rabbit! What a nice fellow! He seems well adapted from winter in his furry coat! I like this proximity, nice lightning, POV and composition. This sure is a cute fellow :)! Well done and TFS,
Claudine

  • Great 
  • Debz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 516 W: 0 N: 846] (3307)
  • [2007-12-15 10:27]

Hi Rick, what a charming shot of this little chap keeping warm in the snow. You shot this with good light and exposure both on the Rabbit and the Snow. Nice and sharp with good detail on the Rabbit, I like it a lot.
tfs
debz

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-12-15 18:26]

Hello Rick

Another winter gem.You have captured this fellow perfectly.
The POV is amazing.Great focus and DOF.
Very well illuminated with natural colours.
Excellent eye detail.
TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
  • [2007-12-16 8:44]

Hello Rick, what a beauty you've done there ! It's so sharp and clear and your subject is fantastic, well done, great shot my friend. Thanks,

Mario

  • Great 
  • bobair Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 398 W: 118 N: 1440] (5188)
  • [2007-12-17 19:38]

Hi Rick,
what an attractive little rabbit this one is with a healthy look and very clean looking fur.It has occurred to me that most animals I see are very clean creatures and despite the fact they move about the ground in soil and mud,they have a way of being so neat and tidy for the most part,of course it is now wintertime and keeping clean is easier still for our wild friends.Your photo is a clean and clear capture of this little one with good details and colour and the focus is sharp.Thanks for adding yet another one of Alberta's wild ones to TN. Bob

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