Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Jack Rabbit

It snowed again last night. The temperature this morning (18 November 2015) is -4°C (windchill -11°C) and I suspect everywhere will be very slippery. This White-tailed Jackrabbit was busy munching on grass outside the place where I volunteer. On 28 October 2015, I finished my shift - highly stressful, as we are having to learn a completely new computer data system! - and there was this beautiful animal. I had seen it (or a different one) right there once before, but I didn't have my camera with me on that occasion. This hare was moulting ready for winter and snow, changing from brownish grey in the summer to become white all over except for its ears. Hope it has completely changed by now, as it snowed again last night (17 November 2015). "The white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), also known as the prairie hare and the white jack, is a species of hare found in western North America. Like all hares and rabbits, it is a member of the family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha. It is a solitary individual except where several males court a female in the breeding season. Litters of four to five young are born in a form, a shallow depression in the ground, hidden among vegetation." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_jackrabbit

This White-tailed Jackrabbit was busy munching on grass outside the place where I volunteer. Yesterday, 28 October 2015, I finished my shift - highly stressful, as we are having to learn a completely new computer data system! - and there was this beautiful animal. I had seen it (or a different one) right there once before, but I didn't have my camera with me on that occasion. This hare is moulting ready for winter and snow, and changes from brownish grey in the summer to become white all over except for its ears. "The white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), also known as the prairie hare and the white jack, is a species of hare found in western North America. Like all hares and rabbits, it is a member of the family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha. It is a solitary individual except where several males court a female in the breeding season. Litters of four to five young are born in a form, a shallow depression in the ground, hidden among vegetation." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_jackrabbit

Yesterday, 16 September 2015, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden after my volunteer shift. There seemed to be more flowers in bloom than on my previous visit. Also quite a few distant small birds flitting from tree to tree at one point They were impossible to see well enough to get photos or IDs - this was the only bird I managed to photograph. I had noticed a Jack Rabbit in the garden and then, when I drove through the adjoining cemetery, it or another one was running in among the gravestones. When it saw my car coming, it froze and waited till I had moved on.

This is "Cemetery Jack", a Jack Rabbit that I often see hopping around the cemetery I had to drive through the day before yesterday. After a volunteer shift (indoors) in the afternoon, the sun was still shining, so I decided to call in at the Reader Rock Garden on the way home. This Jack Rabbit sometimes comes down into the Garden, for a change of scenery. I wasn't sure if anything was growing there yet, but I did find a scattering of Hepatica and Squill in bloom. Many other plants were starting to produce leaves, so maybe spring really will happen after all! Looking at this photo, it's hard to believe that we had something like 10" of snow two or three days earlier! This poor animal, he must be wondering whether to let the brown hairs keep growing or to start growing more white ones, ha. I wonder if wildlife does get confused over our crazy Calgary weather. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_jackrabbit

After a walk at the Reader Rock Garden on Wednesday morning, two of us took a walk around the nearby cemetery. It was so interesting to see the different kinds of lichen that were growing on some of the tombstones. A couple of the tombstones were shiny, black, polished granite (?) with a rose design engraved on them. Orange lichen had filled the rose design, taking hold on the roughened grooves. Looked quite pretty, actually. It was very sobering to see that SO many babies and very young children had died and were buried there around the early 1900's. I had seen a Jack Rabbit once before while I was driving through the cemetery and it was nice to see one again on this walk. Note the black tips to his/her long ears.

Another view of one of the two Jack Rabbits that came hopping in front of my place nearly a couple of weeks ago. Took a handful of very quick shots before they hopped away.

After I finally arrived home around midday after a most unpleasant drive home from a walk in a different part of the city, I glanced out of my window to see how many inches of snow had already fallen (seven or eight so far, I would guess). I almost missed this well-camouflaged little guy (Jack Rabbit), resting for a moment after hopping around in the snow behind my house.

After a somewhat chilly two and a half hour walk in a local park this morning, I came home and knew I just had to go food shopping before the bitter weather rolls in for the next few days. The first snowflakes began to fall by the end of the walk and shortly afterwards, the heavy, blowing snow started. I glanced through a front window to see how much snow I was going to have to clear off my car and was delighted to see two of these Jack Rabbits hopping around outside my place. I dashed to get my camera and managed to get three or four quick shots. Not sure what the forecast now says for the weekend, but it was something like -27C (and around -40C with wind chill!). No nature walks for me - and my camera wouldn't like it, either : )

This Jack Rabbit was happily munching on the grass at the Union Cemetery that adjoins the Reader Rock Garden in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I drive through the Cemetery to get out of the area and took a few shots from my car. Note the black tips to his/her long ears.

This Jack Rabbit was caught in the act - eating peas in someone's garden, LOL!

This little gal/guy almost seemed to come to a screeching halt when it suddenly noticed me! Had to smile at the look in its eye and its rigid pose. I've seen a number of these Jack Rabbits around recently.

Happened to look out of an upstairs window and noticed two Jack Rabbits behind my fence. The one that left seemed a lot bigger than this one, which stayed in the shelter of a Spruce tree. To my untrained eye, this one is perhaps a young one? It quickly stretched out its hind legs and looked as if it didn't have a care in the world : )