Desert Cottontail on a snow-topped hill – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I went looking for birds on Antelope Island State Park yesterday morning because the sun was shining brightly for a change and even though I found some birds to photograph I thought today I’d share one of the furry creatures I found while on the island.
I haven’t seen rabbits for quite some time on the island so when I spotted this Mountain Cottontail yesterday on a small snow-topped hill I knew I had to get photos of it. I sure liked this view of the cottontail because it included some of the beautifully blue sky and rabbitbrush with the dried out seeds.
The more I have looked at this photo the more I have wondered if I have the species correct. I wouldn’t mind at all if an expert in lagomorphs offered their opinion. Mountain Cottontails are supposed to have white, never black, whiskers though so perhaps I do have the species identified correctly. I’m going to need to check into this.
I also photographed a color banded female American Kestrel yesterday where I couldn’t read the color band but could read four characters on the metal federal band. This is what Mike Shaw from HawkWatch International had to say about the kestrel:
This is the first time I can recall a photo allowing numbers to be read off the small federal band rather than the larger color band- amazing! There’s 4 kestrels in our database with a 9068 sequence. 2 males, 2 females. Only 1 female has a red colorband on the right: 1783-90687. She was banded at the nest box by the parking area at the entrance to AI on 5/19/17. She could only be aged as an after hatching year bird at the time, meaning she was at least in her second year. Not sure, but I think she was also resighted last winter in the backyard of the first house to the east of the entrance. That girl is sticking tight!
I hope I see that kestrel again and can get better photos of her than I did yesterday.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Mountain Cottontail photos plus facts and information about this species.
Great image, beautiful shot!
Nice image. Big paws, short ears does add up to cute.
Cool kestrel sighting. I think the cottontail is adorble. I enjoyed watching them in St George. I think the one I photographed in Tontaquint is the desert variety with it’s longer ears but then I do not know my rabbits either.
Liz is right about those giant paws.
I like the idea of a kestrel ‘sticking tight’. Long may she survive and thrive.
So cute. The front paws look to be huge.