Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

We had a new visitor in our yard last night–an adult cottontail, which we viewed from our living room window. Sometimes we see rabbits from our kitchen window but we have not seen one from there in months. There are raspberry thickets in back, I believe, they hide under. The new visitor was there a few minutes and disappeared into the bush. I have lived here for over ten years and this is the first time I remember seeing a cottontail from my living room window. Once my wife actually saw a turkey in our front yard. I have never seen a turkey in our yard. A few days ago she saw a three foot black snake on our lawn from the bathroom window. You never know exactly what you are going to see from our living window or in our yard.

Tags: black snake, cottontail rabbit, my wife, nature, our yard, rabbits, raspberry plants, visitor in our yard, wild turkey, wildlife
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I have been feeding the cottontails.  Two days ago I flushed one, which was feeding on the scraps from the fresh Brussels sprouts.  Every day I put out carrots and cut up apples and they are usually gone within twenty-four hours.  I keep checking so I know this for sure.  I like watching the tuft of their tail whenever I flush them as they hop away.

Tags: apples, Brussels sprouts, carrots, checking on the wild rabbits, cottontails, feeding the cottontails, rabbits
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There were deer track in the front of the yard on the side.  Maybe, it is deer not cottontails that are eating the cut up carrots and apples I am putting out in front of the woodpile in my back yard.  Or maybe both animals.  I have seen deer tracks in my yard before but have only seen one deer in ten years on this property.  I have repeatedly seen rabbits in the backyard so I am not sure what animals are eating the carrots and apples I am putting out there.  They keep disappearing usually within twenty-four hours.

Tags: animals, cottontails, cut up carrots and apples I put outside, deer, deer tracks, I see rabbits all the time, rabbits, wildlife
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The three apples I put out behind the wood pile yesterday were gone.  I know there are rabbits in the backyard.  They hide under the big raspberry patch in the corner of our yard.  Deer like apples, too but they usually are not spotted so close to the house.  I always wonder where the cottontails live.  We see them occasionally.  The adults are big so they have no lack of food.  Of course, I help.  Usually we see them in the back–not in the yard for our dogs are there.  They love chasing them.  They usually don’t get the opportunity to do so, though.

Tags: cottontails, deer, dogs, pets, putting food out for them, rabbits, rabbits hide under raspberry patch, three apples, wood pile
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The cottontails keep finding the carrots I put out behind the wood pile.  Twice within twenty-four hours they were gone.  They hang out under the raspberry patch near there.  The first ones we put out were big stalks, then we put out baby carrots.  The stalk of celery is also gone.  The carrots were a little old.  It did not make any difference to the rabbits.  They ate them any way.

Tags: baby carrots, carrots, celery, cottontails, rabbits, raspberry patch, the cottontail, the cottontails hang out under the raspberry patch, the rabbits found the carrots we put out for them quickly, wildlife, wood pile
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Twice I drove into town to put gas into my cars.  On both of those trips I spotted several rabbits and one baby one just on the edge of the meadow.  It immediately disappeared into the undergrowth.  I just got a glimpse of it.  It was tiny–only a few inches wide.  Then on my way home from church I took the back road and I passed a turtle and then I stopped to go back to make sure he will safely make it to the other side of the road.  When it saw me it scurried quickly to the other side of the road.  The box turtle measured approximately six inches from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.

Tags: baby rabbit, box turtle, creatures, edge of the meadow, rabbits, this morning, turtle, wildlife
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There were two baby rabbit in a nest in our tall grass.  Someone was cutting the grass and discovered the two baby rabbits.  We wanted to give them a fighting chance and relocate them out side our enclosed yard but the dogs found one first and of course they killed it.  Every time Sweetie, the golden retriever and her two kids went out into the yard they were tracking their scent.  Pax, our fourth dog, wasn’t interested at all in the rabbits.  Now I know why I spotted a cottontail once slipping into our yard at night.  She had a brood to take care of.

Tags: baby rabbits, cottontail, dogs, golden retriever, mother rabbit, our yard, Pax, pets, rabbits, Sweetie, tall grass
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I made a nightly run for snacks.  The convenience/gas station is open twenty-four hours.  On the way home (it was dark already) I flushed a baby cottontail who ran back in the same direction he had come from.  The next thing I had to do was step on my brakes suddenly to prevent myself from running over a raccoon.  He was right in front of me.  I even backtracked to make sure I had not run it over.  I was relieved.  There was no sign of him.  I have to be careful driving at night.  I never know what I am going to flush next.  It could be a deer or turkey or groundhog or an opossum.

Tags: baby cottontail, deer, driving at night, groundhog, opossum, rabbits, raccoon, turkey, wildlife
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I mourned the dead cottontail.  I spotted it last night at the far end of our fence just a few feet from the road.  I don’t know if a cat killed it.  I loved watching the rabbits from the kitchen window cavort in the backyard.  There were at least one adult one and two younger ones.  I wanted to examine it to determine what killed it but I really did not want to see it dead.  I just felt bad.

Tags: baby rabbit, cottontail, rabbits, watching the rabbits, wildlife
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My wife excitedly told me she saw from the kitchen window facing the backyard two bunnies chasing each other, going around the undergrowth.  I looked out the window and at first didn’t see any bunnies, but then two appeared, again chasing each other.  Later on, Momma Bunny appeared and decided to enjoy our grass nearby.  She was quite bigger than the other two.  The others must have been her kids.  I love watching cottontails from of (???) the window.

Tags: baby rabbits, bunnies, cottontails, grass, latest discovery, Momma Bunny, my wife, out the window, rabbits
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I have my eyes open for the two cottontails we saw in the backyard last week.  We tossed out vegetable cuttings in the bushes for them.  They were two plump rabbits grazing in back.  We do see them occasionally around but I had not seen any in awhile.  I wonder where they come from and whether they nest under that large white pine in back.  Ever since I saw them I keep peering out my kitchen window for them.  It is going on a week since I last saw them.  I just wonder where they go in the winter, whether they hibernate, or what?  It has been months since I last saw them.

Tags: backyard, bushes, cottontails, hibernate, kitchen window, nature, rabbits, spring, vegetable cuttings, white pine tree, winter
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Every time I glance out the front window I await the entrance of the first hummingbird.  I just put out nectar the other day for it.  In the past, the first one of the season came by the end of April so I know it could come any day now.

Yesterday (or the day before) I saw three cottontails munching on the grass viewed from the back window.  I never saw three at one time so I was thrilled.  Now every time I look out into the backyard I am looking for those three bunnies.

Nature has a way of surprising you:  when you least expect it, there it is another surprise.  It may be a northern mockingbird (you have never seen before in the yard) or some totally other different sight like the large orange salamander that we spotted twice.  Somewhere in back near the creek lives a large box turtle.  You never know and all you can do is live and view life with an expectant attitude.

Tags: April, bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, box turtle, bunnies, cottontails, creek, expectant attitude, front window, grass, hummingbird, life, nature, nectar, northern mockingbird, orange salamander, rabbits, seasons, spring, surprise
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