Rabbiting On

I've now had enough of the snow and slush. It's almost a week since I first went out with my camera, excited about the opportunity of photographing the woods in a covering of white. They are now a combination of slushy grey and muddy brown, so I don't think I'll bother with the camera on my next trip. 

What the snow did reveal was that the woods and adjoining meadow has a very active population of rabbits. I have noticed droppings on other visits but never seen one, probably because I am making too much noise. The rabbit tracks in the snow at the weekend reveal animals coming out of the woodland edge onto the meadow where they were digging away the snow to get at the grass and roots.

With rabbits legendary interest in procreation and the fact that doe's can have up to 60 young a year, it's a wonder that we are not overrun. The reality is that very few survive into adulthood. Young rabbits cannot defend themselves and are food for foxes, weasels and our resident tawny owls and buzzards.

Disease is another controller of rabbit population. Myxomatosis first appeared in the 1950's  and caused deaths on such a large scale that in some areas the army was called in to remove the corpses. The disease is now well established throughout the country and it's re-emergence from time to time prevents a resurgence in the population. Some rabbits now spend less time in burrows where disease spreads easily and live most of their lives above ground. There is some evidence that this is the case for some of Roundball's rabbits. If I'm correct, I bet I'm not the only one who has had enough of the snow and slush.