RABBIT

On friday evening (as in the changed time and date of this post), Anna and I drove to a secret location in the Chilterns to see if we could see any Badgers. Well, to cut a long story short, the wind was NOT in the right direction by the time we'd got there, and also, after watching the sett from a distance, I realised that at least 2 of the openings to the sett had been taken over by wabbits.
Badgers and rabbits will very rarely co-exist in different parts of an old Badger Sett, but like I said... very rarely. Generally for that to happen, the sett has to be quite large and old, with "satellite openings" out of the way of the main Badger sett activity.

Before we left, we scouted around and found another two promising openings , right on the edge of the wood which we may stake out later in the summer. We really want to see Badgers this summer!

Anyway, we DID see two rather nice big, brown wild rabbits - one of which obviously caught our scent, and did a "Thumper", ie sounded the rabbit alarm call by thumping one of its hind legs on the firm woodland floor.

No photos from me... I won't take pictures in a wood at that close distance for fear of scaring the subject. (Everyone knows what a rabbit looks like anyway).

Not really much to say about rabbits. But, in case you didn't know...
1) Rabbits are NOT NATIVE to the UK. They were introduced 900years ago.
2) Becoming a pest, myxamatosis was introduced in the 1950's to control their population.
3) Myxamatosis wiped out 99% of the UK rabbit population in 1953
4) Myxamatosis still exists, but the majority of rabbits are now immune.
5) Rabbits can have 'kittens' every 5 weeks for 8 months of the year. NOw you understand fully (in case you never did!) what "Going at it like rabbits" means...