Late Autumn Respite

We usually have several rabbits enjoying the grass in our back yard over the course of summer, but this year, with endless sunshine and virtually no rain, I don't think I saw any.

Perhaps it was the combination of Phil cutting the grass recently and the rain we had last night that brought this one out to enjoy the tender tips of the newly-shorn grass. She also spent a great deal of time just sitting and staring into space, as you see here.

I know, because I sat watching her do nothing, camera at the ready, for more time than I should have. Given the white patches on her flanks and her slightly disgruntled expression, I thought she might be a dominant doe who'd had more litters than she'd bargained for this season.

She clearly had no intention of doing anything interesting -- not even scratching herself -- during the time I watched with my camera at the ready, and then, in a flash, she ducked under the fence and was away. According to this interesting Washington state website, "Rabbits' survival depends on their sitting still for long periods, a trait they've likely developed to avoid being seen by predators who watch for movement." 

I learned that this rabbit is an Eastern cottontail, which was "introduced to several areas in Washington as a game animal beginning in the 1930s," according to the website referenced above.

If I had several litters of four to eight young a year, with only 30 days gestation for each litter, I'd be content to sit and stare into space for quite a while too!

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