Wildlife Report
A thrilling moment for me this morning….
As I walked out to the garden, I quickly noticed an Eastern Cottontail rabbit under my patio table. While seeing a single rabbit may not seem like a big deal or may be an almost everyday occurrence for some folks, it’s rare in my community. At least outside of the few wooded areas that remain.
I live in an older part of town with lots of trees, but it’s also plagued by lawn worshipers, blithely spraying their poisons, largely apathetic about any life forms other than their own. The more they spray and cut, the more damage they cause.
Fewer amphibians and fewer rabbits.
So, seeing this single example of Sylvilagus floridanus was, as my son stated, a small triumph.
I watched the rabbit for about a half hour, as it sat very, still under the table. Eventually, it moved to the grass and started munching away. Then, in a sudden and unexpected movement, its ears fully alerted and pulsing, its nose twitching, it darted back to the patio and cowered behind a large planter with a drooping cherry tomato plant.
I had missed the signs, because I was too busy watching the rabbit, but the birds were growing loud and a squirrel was belting out an alarm call. Within a flash, a Coopers hawk swooped down and left empty handed.
Good thing, too, because I haven’t seen any others. They’re obviously there somewhere, but probably not at normal levels of population. The Eastern Cottontail is a prolific producer, but this species also has a high mortality rate. According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide To Mammals, within hours of giving birth, females will mate again. If no young were lost, a single pair, together with their offspring, could produce 350,000 rabbits in five years; however, the Eastern Cottontail’s death rate vies with its birth rate and few individuals live longer than one year.
I’m one of those guys that believes species like the Eastern Cottontail belong right here in the midst of our homes and carports, not just “out in the woods.” It’s good to see rabbits, chipmunks, Mourning dove, Copperheads, amphibians, dragonflies and even the Black Widow Spider in the garden. It means I have a healthy yard that’s more than a yard. It’s habitat. Friendly to critters and therefore friendly to humans.
Cool! Always good to see wildlife creeping into human habitat! The meek shall inherit the earth. 