{"id":35211,"date":"2016-02-04T06:45:45","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T13:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=35211"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:53:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:53:47","slug":"a-mountain-cottontail-on-antelope-island-state-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/02\/04\/a-mountain-cottontail-on-antelope-island-state-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Cottontail on Antelope Island State Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MountainMountain Cottontail resting on the snow
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a blanket of snow on Antelope Island right now from storms earlier this week and last and that can make it tough for some animals to find food.<\/p>\n

I found this Mountain Cottontail yesterday near a pile a brush placed by the staff near the park headquarters, I often see the cottontails there.<\/p>\n

Just last week there were visible patches of grass for the rabbits to eat but the covering of snow changed that.<\/p>\n

\"MountainMountain Cottontail in front of a pile of branches<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountain Cottontail Cottontails are found in the western U.S. and look similar to Desert Cottontails. They are most active during the early hours of the day and early hours of the evening and they do feed at night.<\/p>\n

They very rarely need to drink and get most of their water from the plants they eat, from dew and I suppose even snow.<\/p>\n

\"MountainMountain Cottontail eating the bark of a branch<\/span><\/p>\n

It did take me by surprise to see this cottontail nibbling on the bark of the branches of the brush pile but the snow was covering all of the grasses the cottontails normally eat.<\/p>\n

\"HungryHungry Mountain Cottontail<\/span><\/p>\n

I had to share at least one image of this Mountain Cottontail on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> that showed its little, fluffy white tail, after all that is where they get part of their name.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I had to share at least one image of this Mountain Cottontail on Antelope Island State Park that showed its little, fluffy white tail, after all that is where they get part of their name. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":170436,"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":[511,1022,7717,26],"tags":[10484,6577,6779,6372,4865,4286,6493,7718,6371,4864,4156,4050,4429,4032,373],"class_list":["post-35211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-davis-county-utah","category-mountain-cottontails","category-utah","tag-bark","tag-branches","tag-brush-pile","tag-cottontail","tag-cottontails","tag-eating","tag-hungry","tag-mountain-cottontail","tag-rabbit","tag-rabbits","tag-resting","tag-snow","tag-sylvilagus-nuttallii","tag-wildlife-photography","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-0303.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-99V","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34721,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/01\/06\/a-resting-mountain-cottontail-on-a-snow-drift\/","url_meta":{"origin":35211,"position":0},"title":"Resting Mountain Cottontail on a snow drift","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a simple image today of a resting Mountain Cottontail on a snow drift taken on Antelope Island State Park near the park headquarters.","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":"Mountain Cottontail on a snow drift on Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mountain-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-1749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mountain-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-1749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mountain-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-1749.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mountain-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-1749.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55817,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/01\/26\/mountain-cottontail-on-a-bright-january-morning\/","url_meta":{"origin":35211,"position":1},"title":"Mountain Cottontail On A Bright January Morning","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","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":"Mountain Cottontail on a snow-topped hill, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-winter-snow-mia-mcpherson-4744.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-winter-snow-mia-mcpherson-4744.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-winter-snow-mia-mcpherson-4744.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-winter-snow-mia-mcpherson-4744.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5314,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/07\/09\/cottontail-rabbit\/","url_meta":{"origin":35211,"position":2},"title":"Desert Cottontail Rabbit","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this little Cottontail Rabbit yesterday on Antelope Island State Park. Black-tailed Jackrabbits are far more common on the island so I was tickled to see this Cottontail near the haybarn.","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":"Desert Cottontail, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cottontail-rabbit-mia-mcpherson-3627.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cottontail-rabbit-mia-mcpherson-3627.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cottontail-rabbit-mia-mcpherson-3627.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2018","format":false,"excerpt":"My best photos of the day were of a Mountain Cottontail in the snow and that isn't saying much because of the annoying grass stem that intersects the rabbit's ears.","rel":"","context":"In "Box Elder County"","block_context":{"text":"Box Elder County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/box-elder-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mountain Cottontail in northern Utah, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-4085.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-4085.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/desert-cottontail-snow-mia-mcpherson-4085.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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