{"id":2229,"date":"2011-04-24T04:00:05","date_gmt":"2011-04-24T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2026-02-15T15:14:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T21:14:43","slug":"black-tailed-jackrabbit-a-hare-nervous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/04\/24\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-a-hare-nervous\/","title":{"rendered":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit – A Hare Nervous?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SeriousSerious looking Black-tailed Jackrabbit –\u00a0Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm with 1.4x TC at 280mm, natural light, not baited <\/span><\/p>\n

A few days ago when I was photographing Black-billed Magpies when I noticed a Black-tailed Jackrabbit come out from behind the base of a sagebrush.<\/p>\n

The light wasn’t all that good for photographing mostly black and white birds so when I saw the hare I aimed my lens at it. I am\u00a0 bird photographer who doesn’t often pass up the chance to photograph furry critters either.<\/p>\n

And I do love the jackrabbits.<\/p>\n

\"Black-tailedBlack-tailed Jackrabbit photobombed by a magpie – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited <\/span><\/p>\n

I had only taken two frames when a Black-billed Magpie photobombed the jackrabbit, then moved out of my line of sight.\u00a0 I sure wish I had been using more depth of field, I might have gotten both the bird and the hare in focus!<\/p>\n

It only took tenths of a second for the magpie to be out to the frame but then I noticed the jackrabbit acting a little strange.<\/p>\n

\"Black-tailedBlack-tailed Jackrabbit stretching – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited <\/span><\/p>\n

The jackrabbit raised itself up on all four legs so I expected it to bound away while I kept on taking frame after frame hoping to get a shot of the hare leaping forward.<\/p>\n

At this point the jackrabbit was looking towards the mobile blind (a vehicle) and not in the direction the magpie had gone.<\/p>\n

I was drawn to the jackrabbit’s strange posture and behavior and slowed down my burst rate because it is just plain awful when great action happens when your buffer is filled up!<\/p>\n

\"Black-tailedBlack-tailed Jackrabbit super stretch – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Black-tailed Jackrabbit arched its back while still keeping an eye on me and I thought the arched back looked very similar to a domestic cat when it gets riled up or frightened about something.<\/p>\n

I half expected the hare to hiss at me.\u00a0 Still, I kept firing the shutter button slowly, not want to miss a great shot.<\/p>\n

\"Black-tailedBlack-tailed Jackrabbit starting to relax – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a few seconds the jackrabbit seemed to relax, it lowered its back some and the back legs seemed to return to a more normal position. The only noises close by were the sounds of my camera clicking away.<\/p>\n

\"RelaxedRelaxed Black-tailed Jackrabbit on a spring morning – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 280mm, natural light, not baited <\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually the hare rested on its back haunches in a completely relaxed pose, the only thing the jackrabbit was moving was its ears and\u00a0twitching whiskers.<\/p>\n

\"Black-tailedBlack-tailed Jackrabbit grooming – <\/span>Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 280mm, natural light, not baited\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Was it a defensive posture, or was the Black-tailed Jackrabbit<\/span><\/a> just stretching?<\/p>\n

I’m still not sure why the jackrabbit reacted the way it did. I don’t believe the Black-billed Magpie would be considered a threat by the rabbit.<\/p>\n

I’d been sitting quietly in the vehicle for quite some time quietly photographing the birds so I would not think my presence had bothered the hare but the seemingly nervous reaction and behavior of it was interesting and I’m glad I was there to see what occurred.<\/p>\n

The jackrabbit bent its head down and groomed its foot then about the time my buffer filled up the hare leapt away from my sight and I missed<\/em> the shot!<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Black-tailed Jackrabbit photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Black-tailed Jackrabbit arched its back while still keeping an eye on me and I thought the arched back looked very similar to a domestic cat when it gets riled up or frightened about something.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":169339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,516,26],"tags":[4004,58,2452,3981,11978,518,5134,8720,4847,2451,2644,2643,6371,4864,165,30,4032],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-black-tailed-jackrabbit","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-antelope-island-sp","tag-black-tailed-jackrabbit","tag-davis-county","tag-desert-island","tag-hare","tag-hares","tag-jackrabbit","tag-jackrabbits","tag-lepus-californicus","tag-photobomb","tag-photobombed","tag-rabbit","tag-rabbits","tag-spring","tag-utah-2","tag-wildlife-photography"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-mia-mcpherson-8261.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-zX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22116,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/17\/a-black-tailed-jackrabbit-with-odd-colored-eyes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2229,"position":0},"title":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit With Odd Colored Eyes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This Black-tailed Jackrabbit was near the first one and as I photographed it I realized that its eye color was odd because they are much paler and has a slight greenish hue to them.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit in early morning light, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-mia-mcpherson-6670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-mia-mcpherson-6670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-mia-mcpherson-6670.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-mia-mcpherson-6670.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39141,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/05\/03\/spring-black-tailed-jackrabbits\/","url_meta":{"origin":2229,"position":1},"title":"Spring Black-tailed Jackrabbits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I adore the Black-tailed Jackrabbits I see on Antelope Island State Park for their huge caramel colored eyes, long ears and their soft looking fur.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit resting near sagebrush, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-sage-mia-mcpherson-2611.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-sage-mia-mcpherson-2611.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-sage-mia-mcpherson-2611.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-sage-mia-mcpherson-2611.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98528,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/29\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-on-a-snowy-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":2229,"position":2},"title":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit On A Snowy Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"While looking back through some old winter photos I came across this Black-tailed Jackrabbit I photographed on a snowy day on Antelope Island.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit on a snowy Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-in-snow-mia-mcpherson-8803.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-in-snow-mia-mcpherson-8803.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-in-snow-mia-mcpherson-8803.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-in-snow-mia-mcpherson-8803.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21843,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/12\/a-black-tailed-jackrabbit-after-snow-storm\/","url_meta":{"origin":2229,"position":3},"title":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit After A Snow Storm","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't have as many Black-tailed Jackrabbit images as I would like, I need to change that.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-tailed Jackrabbit after a snow storm, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-winter-mia-mcpherson-8775.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-winter-mia-mcpherson-8775.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-winter-mia-mcpherson-8775.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/black-tailed-jackrabbit-winter-mia-mcpherson-8775.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19181,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/01\/28\/ranching-trophic-cascades-and-predator-control\/","url_meta":{"origin":2229,"position":4},"title":"Ranching, Trophic Cascades And Predator Control","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This isn't just just a Henry Mountain Range issue, it is a Utah issue. 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