THE STRANGE BUNNY HAS A PLAN!

Once again Bunny was hanging out, keeping vigil.  This time she is
again on the South side of the dog run with a clear sight line to the North where the wood is stacked.

 Ahhh, you noted I'd changed pronouns.  That is due to an email from blog reader Claudia Guy which follows.

Donegal,

I agree with you thinking that bunny is keeping an eye out on her den.

If bunny was sick, I don't think she would be grooming herself.

I'm thinking bunny is a she, because I'm not sure that the he bunnies stick around to help raise the baby bunnies. I was just reading a little bit about rabbits....the mother will not stay with the den because she does not want to attract predators to her babies. She probably sets herself up so she can keep an eye on the den, and will use herself to distract any predators that may venture too close.

Please keep us posted on the bunnies - thank you!

Claudia

Many thanks Claudia!  A bunny saga from two years ago combined with this year's rabbit behavior is coming back to me now.  

Two years ago I periodically saw a rabbit hanging out in my front garden beside my maintenance building.  I didn't think much about it except I liked the rabbit and periodically took her picture.  
Then some weeks later during a cold rain a neighbor noticed a baby rabbit (too young to be out of the nest) lying in the wet next to my mulch pile.  It appeared that the mother rabbit had made a den in the mulch which seemed to have been disturbed.  He was wearing gloves and put the the baby back in the den and told me what had happened.  I watched.  No rabbit returned.

 I took the baby in,  warmed it, and tried feeding it, but I was too late.   

This time through, the mom bunny, seems a little more experienced and has chosen a sturdier place for a den.  And yes she is keeping vigil.  Yesterday Mom rabbit was sitting as pictured above.  Now the dog run is between where Mom is lying and the wood pile.  One of the neighborhood cats (Don't get me started.) appeared coming round the corner of the house behind Mom.  Mom was vigilant.  She leapt up and ran obliquely, almost toward the cat but directly away from the dog run and the wood pile.  

About a half hour later there was Mom, back after I fancy leading the cat astray, taking up her position of vigilance once again.  

Interestingly Mom rabbit seems to have realized that the dog comes out in the run, never leaves it, and then goes back in the house.  She rarely even gives the dog a second look when he comes outside.  It is almost like she is using the dog as a cat deterrent.  Maybe, maybe not, but dog is helping her deter cats.  They rarely appear on the dog side of the house.

Keep your eyes open!
Donegal Browne