I have had a banner spring/summer for black-tailed jackrabbits. I am seeing lots of them and I am getting great photos. I am also falling in love with them.
On Saturday, June 27, it was about 104 degrees when I was in the Hayfield Road vicinity, 11 degrees warmer than the hottest I'd been there previously. I noticed a huge change in the jackrabbits. Instead of flushing them from bushes, I visited two rock formations and flushed three of them from just those two. This is the first time in 11 weeks that I'd seen a jackrabbit near either of those sets of rocks. The first two rabbits were sheltering under large rocks. I investigated and found the depressions where they were resting and their tracks. The third was actually on a rock, sheltering on the shady side. Although it was some distance from where I've previously seen my jackrabbit friend, I think it was him/her again. It stayed in place until I got quite close, then walked forward and hid behind a small tree in front of the rock just a couple of feet from me. I got too close, just a foot or two, and spooked it, but got some great photos of it running.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLpO_Nr1T4j8BQ709-v_jGfoL7KXs1ew6XrS5zkSwDRhReUdFlGA4XkKKXmdJ34On0q3ar5tjBqFr4xqAyxtsBw3YjIig1tsLZxXj_Hz2FYkELfNqB9ApCPllCsiA27HRC87mLG2tHZI/s400/71+jackrabbit.jpg) |
Here is my rabbit buddy standing on a large boulder in the shade of an even larger boulder. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBRRSO0rnkGT0QZrPUK6vzHblTiDCA08E8k6e3SiDxXL9XpglkqLp7bGUpKSRLz0iUpg4UNdVJ8HVS6aSGQvbcXyTBLQ_BOAZ7ZqDEpO7nnqFtaD93zG6S24hQ5w2qhHwXqbtjD7w3vE/s400/74+jackrabbit.jpg) |
Here it is running away. |
Near Corn Springs I photographed five different jackrabbits and probably saw a few more. Several of them were just off the side of the road and I took many, many pictures from my car.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC8p08O-6dZHY8wD5S6uZ2-QmbXqduLcT8Va6DKZ2TnmYFODYB4P97IO6hXfQRnxxqv0TbHvG1viXve9315eLeJ1UnHuoX8PuKTU1qEZQHqrJYhmoBZSsdKsmoxwYrS0nJJgxg34xTkE/s400/10+jackrabbit+-+corn+springs.jpg) |
Here is a rabbit near the palm tree oasis, sheltering in the shade of a tree. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvMIw7dSrwHdjzvtioVkPHKo_9DRVNwJ7TohAQ_Moy-GJMNmR1-WJ3TfhlrFxYElc_-kHSXbjlbon_cjUdj5ZZzDEU92rlD9YKfWEIuB0fcQayVjZUIJWlxtY7O_U8YlkEzXV01ADdXw/s400/20+jackrabbit+-+corn+springs.jpg) |
A different rabbit sheltering off the side of the road. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeQe8OYRUrAo04NCuSH6pqdRqTix04TfRHUgE_Ow6xRIo3nxMq9UNI3FWqZEodNKPFtIn5zJQL5cMu56bIntP6VYq41NJ63Xq7pbZZAAb11TQL6nFcjE_gyirPuObB8ZpoFMOXRf-bfg/s400/40+jackrabbit.jpg) |
This rabbit was under a tree off the side of the road and I took many photos of it, but I don't really love any of the photos. The rabbit appears tawnier, less gray, than the other rabbits, and a little fatter. I don't see any other species of jackrabbit within this range - I suppose it could be a separate subspecies? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34Ie2k8C8h4dW8_3TiHX24RL5wLQKJwchhyC39PcfrZcGqrpEooN-oTOt-DzaEmn3d_HZcPgqVg672L80GZPt-jWw6PMDoq9bwxpcuK9flgyeLqxfJcxT-DQltHgz0VcbHUo-BOI9c2Y/s400/41+jackrabbit.jpg) |
One more photo of it. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayLW0AZxkimZCKgdWw0vNa6R2P-hfmt-9N7jReNrAJQwaDd1IzP6KCc1yacccvs7fZxn6eo9K74lM8Mj_s6T6dAwL4-B3VLAKrFymMoPrMOv0SyADJ3Xxn4QFxSc9sTPqPuAvTgZRbbI/s400/2+jackrabbit+-+corn+springs.jpg) |
This rabbit was fun. He was just off the side of the road and he was on alert. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd4UHj_BbfGkWYt6OHSr-eoNS6llMgOwXsdpU4_62rqVcCIOdBnCQqgZ1C9DxS_iFqFfE0-_4YyUmuJMJ-BgLRuzzz4rmlLVXc2U9ujN0gcSaPkQR1t_2vEYMrzu7HT06O0z1s4IS6CQ/s400/3+jackrabbit.jpg) |
I had some other photos that were blurry of it in positions I'd not photographed before. I love this photo showing the very long black tail. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0Cq1T61T9oxCqnHNygRyHGW8yGTPkow3wH8rPuihOxWdI2KRpCB0VSkXAuNSlS1arbEaB4feA45ap0XkHclYxlvQdLH8GuLfhnvVIrMXV2nIS9mbV2q_6Pd2Kffi2CId9rXmgOBtkLk/s400/4a+jackrabbit.jpg) |
This is mega-alert, body taut, ears up high like radar. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUx2OTa0LZ7puI61NliwrJVI7ox94RQOsbz0gAYs3edWiQV9XN1bo_u1TSFrI2ytBpVfzaPjIC-DXIzwwNTUMdaWtSZjCu4iIGOiDpMJtK2CP2y2r54JrHa6igDHoaSjrU_cyjtQqIgQ/s400/30+jackrabbit+-+Corn+Springs.jpg) |
Finally, this last rabbit was near the edge of the road and I probably took 60 photos of it. I love the big eyes with a round white-goggle ring around the eye. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_f8fFSWaYD0WyLXXhQ-oVMxgf_hN7mK0HKvZ2FoBofkXmzKJIZ7tqA7RQVejXt6Q4Y8i-EZnEXAR6n_Xchp4sLFQG0tANzS37MqIxaVJwR_FuulXRjJ_ih-50h7B4tIZgaADsB2I4_w/s400/31+jackrabbit.jpg) |
Its ears were heavily notched. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIGNT9wW2gLQUIEyQJVqSS4XpP-46tbH6d6bIVtJj2N99mu5z9epW8FDn2Qeloy7yLxakyxPyb0GmwNxw1jusf9petXPKKkRMXJpvd-IA7cOXMPBAJCqtjWoVM6Gs4Ui43BoVipnAEbs/s400/32+jackrabbit.jpg) |
Its large tail from a sitting position. This photo does not give a hint as to how long the tail actually is. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71L9sn28tfvutjkYeiAbldyjP3aviDiNdxekYBcSHgAMN4IPI491ZQlxpndJCDdRuuUbMP9lpOco_PE_W2N6yucWWqJQJS3Qg3yiPZ3jLoUPNv04Ci7ZHJ6vDpoH7CuwvOFeFmnxch50/s400/33a+jackrabbit.jpg) |
A better view of the eye. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq-1Ky0o1KpBCit5fxI7RE4Vjg7JKVkTg6He-3DuIUqXWMg-LJkdasQz9EVkdKAufoH9HjeX8vmi_1e7nab_BBVZqbcGu0Q3WAuMBQBmf51oT0mP_LwQ8vbammRx26pVO51kUkENQGag/s640/35+jackrabbit.jpg) |
The eyes set on the opposite sides of its head give it almost a 360 degree view. They do have a small blind spot immediately in front of them. |
FANTASTIC PICS!!!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any pictures of their tracks?
ReplyDelete