owlsfriend
Well-known member
I have a dog's X-Pen that I dismantled and put back together with the panels end to end, so that it is 24" high and about 16 ft. circumference, rather than the original 4 ft high and 8 ft circumference. I wanted to do a movie of the kits on grass, so took my nest box full of 14 day old kits and movie camera and got the X-Pen and went to a neighbor's yard, where the sun was shining and their was mown yard....more photogenic, basically.
All was going well (enough) as I began stretching out the exercize fence. Clipped the ends together. Caught the rew SA who had just climbed out of the nest box. Put the nest box into the pen and gently laid it on its side so all the babies could begin to explore. Opened the movie camera and pressed power--nothing....no battery juice. Turned my back ONE SECOND and put the camera in my car trunk. Turned back and one of the babies had gone through the pen wires to eat grass on the other side. I'd forgotten that weaned babies can squeeze through those wires.
Soon, I was hopping in and out of the pen, trying to corral all 11 kits and get them back in the nest box simultaneously. Then one discovered that a short sprint would take them through the trellis into the next yard (mine) with it's over grown flower beds. Now I was chasing baby bunnies and going around the trellis and hunting under a huge wild rose bush for "frozen" and invisible bunnies....and trying to count babies and corral babies, and keep them away from my semi-wild cat, who was suddenly very interested.
I kept counting ten...when there should have been 11. This was a problem. It had only been about 15 minutes and I was a nervous wreck, already. I took the 10 I could find, shoved them in the nest box and took it to a random quarantine crate on my back porch and locked them in there, so I could get back to the front yard ASAP. The tom cat was still prowling. I searched near the trellis on my side, getting tangled in rose whips and tromping spent poppy plants. Unfortunately, the missing kit was a chestnut, perfect camouflage. I was getting frantic. Took hedge trimmer and started whacking rose bushes out of my way and ripping out poppy plants to create sort of an open area that hopefully the baby wouldn't venture into....and going around the trellis from time to time, in hopes he'd gone back into the civilized yard next door.
The cat took a nap in the sun...so I started tidying up the disaster I'd created. 45 minutes into this hopeless endeavor, I was kicking myself for the impossibility of an unweaned baby trying to survive even one night without its mother....when I heard a SCREAM cut short. I yelled NO! and dashed towards the cat. Of course the sound had come from under a holly bush complete with more prickers. I searched more diligently than looking through a "Where's Waldo?" book. Meanwhile, I wasn't finding the baby and the tomcat was now on full alert, having actually touched (?) live prey.
I knew the cat knew where the baby was, so I eased off a bit and let the cat nose closer, both of us ready to pounce. Then, suddenly, there was the kit, stock still with his head under a leaf. I snatched that baby up, making it scream bloody murder. My heart was pounding and the tomcat sat down to lick his paws as if he was disinterested (faker). omg.....too much excitement. Never a dull moment. That's for sure. so, I don't have a picture of the baby bunnies, but I do have a picture of the cat, taken on a day when my yard was semi civilized and he was hunting insects....that will have to do...can't compress, sorry....just know, he's a seasoned hunter.
All was going well (enough) as I began stretching out the exercize fence. Clipped the ends together. Caught the rew SA who had just climbed out of the nest box. Put the nest box into the pen and gently laid it on its side so all the babies could begin to explore. Opened the movie camera and pressed power--nothing....no battery juice. Turned my back ONE SECOND and put the camera in my car trunk. Turned back and one of the babies had gone through the pen wires to eat grass on the other side. I'd forgotten that weaned babies can squeeze through those wires.
Soon, I was hopping in and out of the pen, trying to corral all 11 kits and get them back in the nest box simultaneously. Then one discovered that a short sprint would take them through the trellis into the next yard (mine) with it's over grown flower beds. Now I was chasing baby bunnies and going around the trellis and hunting under a huge wild rose bush for "frozen" and invisible bunnies....and trying to count babies and corral babies, and keep them away from my semi-wild cat, who was suddenly very interested.
I kept counting ten...when there should have been 11. This was a problem. It had only been about 15 minutes and I was a nervous wreck, already. I took the 10 I could find, shoved them in the nest box and took it to a random quarantine crate on my back porch and locked them in there, so I could get back to the front yard ASAP. The tom cat was still prowling. I searched near the trellis on my side, getting tangled in rose whips and tromping spent poppy plants. Unfortunately, the missing kit was a chestnut, perfect camouflage. I was getting frantic. Took hedge trimmer and started whacking rose bushes out of my way and ripping out poppy plants to create sort of an open area that hopefully the baby wouldn't venture into....and going around the trellis from time to time, in hopes he'd gone back into the civilized yard next door.
The cat took a nap in the sun...so I started tidying up the disaster I'd created. 45 minutes into this hopeless endeavor, I was kicking myself for the impossibility of an unweaned baby trying to survive even one night without its mother....when I heard a SCREAM cut short. I yelled NO! and dashed towards the cat. Of course the sound had come from under a holly bush complete with more prickers. I searched more diligently than looking through a "Where's Waldo?" book. Meanwhile, I wasn't finding the baby and the tomcat was now on full alert, having actually touched (?) live prey.
I knew the cat knew where the baby was, so I eased off a bit and let the cat nose closer, both of us ready to pounce. Then, suddenly, there was the kit, stock still with his head under a leaf. I snatched that baby up, making it scream bloody murder. My heart was pounding and the tomcat sat down to lick his paws as if he was disinterested (faker). omg.....too much excitement. Never a dull moment. That's for sure. so, I don't have a picture of the baby bunnies, but I do have a picture of the cat, taken on a day when my yard was semi civilized and he was hunting insects....that will have to do...can't compress, sorry....just know, he's a seasoned hunter.
