Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Rabbit

We tried to dissuade her from building a burrow in our front yard.
The Husband filled the hole several times. The rabbit dug it back out.
The Husband set a board over the hole. She shoved it over.
Finally, when The Husband placed a rock in the hole (after making sure nothing living was inside of it), the rabbit abandoned the quest.

And dug a new hole five inches north of the rock.

We let her have that one.
She was determined, and she had earned it.

The hole (roughly the size of a quart jar) stayed empty for some time.  We know because we peeked into it daily.
Just when we started wondering if it really was a rabbit hole ("Did you ever see a rabbit digging it out?" "No, I've never seen an actul rabbit anywhere near it."), we found her sitting on it.

Today its entrance is tucked shut with fur.
We think we see movement way down in there. If we squint. And wait.  Long enough.

We hadn't wanted her there, but now that  her babies *are*, we can't help but feel protective.

The next door lady's cat?
Gets shooed out of our normally welcome yard.

Crows?
Here comes the crazy lady with a broom.
(It's a good show for the neighbors.)

Tonight, it's raining.
The Husband, this wonderful man I married, sheepishly remarked that he had considered propping some canvas over the hole to keep it from flooding.
"But that would be silly," he said.
I replied, "I was one pair of scissors away from converting our laundry basket into a canopy, myself."

We constructed neither, because this is nature. Animals have been doing this forever.  Circle of life, blah blah blah.

So, I sit here listening to the rain.
I think about what's happening under the bundle of fluff, what their mother is doing, and where she's keeping dry tonight.

Good luck, bunny momma.

***

Updated 6/1/2016 to add for Jessica...

You can see 3 noses in a pyramid. 
You can't see it, but there is a 4th in the upper right of the hole.


One of them ventured out.  Momma was not far away.
(Pic is lousy because I was far away with a smartphone.)

7 comments:

Thumper said...

Her furs are water resistant, for realz. I hope the babies do ok...

Roses said...

I am happy to report there are three furry little bunnies alive and well in the hole.
The Husband and I had been spying earlier today when a tiny rabbit ear popped up to listen to our chatter. The ear's owner then scurried to hide deeper in the hole and managed to shove his siblings closer to the surface in the process.

Three furry little bunnies.
I had expected creepy little skin-covered Golums.

stapeliad said...

awwww bunny!
you must take pics of the little bunnies!!!

Roses said...

There's a pic at the bottom of the post for you.
It's as close as I dared.

Roses said...

Oh, and there are four bunnies in the hole. :-)

Roses said...

Correction: There are five bunnies total.

Roses said...

And just like that, all the bunnies have moved out.
One day they were hovering outside the burrow, the next day each and everyone is gone.

No signs of carnage.
Just the empty quart-jar-sized hole in our front yard.