The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutJuly 31, 2003 - Letting nature care for itself July 31, 2003 • The Suffolk Times • e 1 n n a ur e ca re . � or 1 se �� t�'� � �� d� �4. � � . At left: H r � � � .,.M �y�� m �,,�,� �, � �� e e you see a • �, _ �,� ,�� w � ��"�`N�'" � ��„� ��' �� ,��,"x� �� "� nest of baby rabbits � . � �`� . �" p �� ' ' uncovered by a lawn- �``. ��''«J � ,��' �� uw��"�" <°�""„� �" mower. They have only +'�'�� ""� �� " �"� �a��" � �„ ��,� �� a 50% chance of mak- 4'"� z��'� `��/�� , �,p. �"�� , °'�, ��", rµ '' � ,yy�-:� �,�h �� ing it out of the nest , ..M ,, „ ;; " �.. yv ��j�j�+��.4 ' �p�'�^t � � t '� �';�. u �7F� , � '�,�, �� ,4�7�"" � s , because of poor weath- � � : �� , �� _ � °�� w��"; ,�"�� .. . ; a �� 's� ��,. activ�itieslor predators of �� o- � " F �' �` ` t A� one kind or another. �,� ""� '� ,w,. �� .� � '�t �� ,�'� ��. � �� "� "�b�°� �=' '�'.� Below: A sparrow hawk, , ,, - , � . �.� ��;� �� ,�+^�� , � $� �"' our most common hawk. ,� �' � , �'�, '� �� ,�� ''� "�.� � � � It lives on mice and ry��: �"� r, .�i� ��m v�''"„�� ,n " � � 'y �r VO�@S, afl � r occasional �� '� � �,, '� � � �� w� "� �� `r � small bird and a multi- � � � ` ° � �� ,,r�a � � °��'�'� tude of large insects. � ��lr �, . F��/ i� �"�� „i�, ''� � � �,, �� y-. , , �-�� ,,, ��„ �� , , � This one was found ,- , �� ,, , �-;,�� °-,F �„� � �� y�,��'��' �� k� ,�� injured outside a �,� ' �' �,;:; �� -�k,� ��,��"� � �� farmer's chicken house. "'"��' -" w � 4;4, �"��i�� r � � �� '" �' Times/Review photos by Paul and � "'°^ � r� " �� r "r� � �y � " i� " t�� ' V Barbara Stoutenburgh " e^=. �, 9 �".�," �'y"^� , ��' � �� ,�. � r�� ..� `"�� zs ;�„d�� w�x � � �� o, y..� � �„'�.� �r�� . ��„�µ „ , � � ,�ydC°' �. y �,r171 �pdn .`fd M��:� ' /� � . 4*' �•��'��tlp +X'iWA� v. Durt1NG TftESE wAutvt summer t ere an ee them,t en cover them �� >�� months I get calls from readers who over again and leave.And so,once �„^*� � '�� w have just discovered the wonders of again,we see that if we leave nature �� ' � � �"�"*� � > alone it usuall works out its own �"� �� baby rabbits.Usually it s when they're � Y ��, � ��"�, mowing the lawn.The mower c'uts off solution to the problem. Our cottontail rabbits live on the , �, "�� the top of the nest,throwing up some "" high side of life during the summer. ��,q� �- �� ,, � fur.Then the person,being a bit w�� inquisitive,checks it out and finds it to T�ere is so much greenery offered to � �� be a nest of baby rabbits.But then, tihem that they have no problem in � �� `��,E�� ",�� t�' �mb� what do you do with baby rabbits? finding the best of foods.I can remem- � � �,,�� ber a comical time in our back ard �� z��'�� ' ' ��* You leave them right where they Y ,�, , are.Cover them up,if you can,with years ago when we watched a rabbit �� , ,,��,r�� '� the fur and grass that was turned up b cut off a pansy with a long stem.The '� y � ,, the mower and leave thern.The moth- rabbit started at the bottom and kept ,N er will not check eating as the stem got shorter and F'�C V$ on them during shorter and finally it got right up to the day.It's at the flower,then,to our amazement, �N night when she the rabbit devoured the whole thing. returns and nurs It's during the winter that rabbits NATU RE es them.If the have a more difficult time,when they by Paul nest is not too live mostly on shoots of trees and Stoutenburgh badly disturoed, bushes,bark and dried-up fruit.They she will stay can reach anything within a two-foot distance u from the round. Rabbits jumped six feet up into the air and right out the window. Rabbits are quite prolific.Usually they have four or five young in each brood.This can vary up or down,but thaYs the average.Multiply that by fiv and deer compete for the same food broods a year and you can see that supply.A rabbit will make a clean one individual can produce a fair num- on. en I examined his perch i foun angled cut that you can recognize in ber of offspring.But let's follow this below it 20 or more wings of grasshop- your garden,in contrast to the deer, scenario a little further.Should there pers.The little kestrel had used that which will shred and leave a jagged be no predators and one female pro- spot as a perch and went out into the end in its foraging.So just by lookin duces five broods and the young pro- pasture and picked up a grasshopper, at the way the plant has been cut, duce five more broods and so on far then came back to remove the indi- you can tell who the culprit was in five years—remembering the females gestible wings and indulge in his meals. can have young at three months and This little hawk nests in cavities of your garden. can mate again as soon as the young trees,even a birdhouse if you make The female rabbit does all the work are born—there would be over five the opening large enough.Once I was of raising the young.She builds the million rabbits running around. called to the Southold Town highway nest,feeds the babies and defends her So why aren't there more rabbits? department,where they had a pair territory.In the meantime the male is Well,mainly because there are so nesting in the loft.above the machin- off gallivanting,looking for another many predators and other problems ery.It paid little attention to the peo- lady to court.This courting dance is facing young rabbits.The predators ple working below,but raised its brood quite something to witness.We see it are foxes,feral cats,stray dogs,hawks, right there above the busy machine all the time out in the pasture when owls and,of course,raccoons.But shop. two or more of these cottontails spar those are just predators;on top of After we received the call from the before mating.They'll jump into the that there are all kinds of diseases, farmer we headed up to see the kestrel air,one over the other,scamper about and don't forget poor weather condi- that they'd found near the chicken in circles until the appropriate tions that can cause flooding in the yard.They had taken it in the house, moment when mating finally takes nests of the young.So you see,there' where it flew into the living room and place.They do really remarkable a natural control that keeps rabbits perched on top of one of the curtain jurnping with their powerful legs, from overpopulating.Our cottontail rods.It appeared to have a bad leg which can also push them along at rabbit leads quite a dangerous life. injury,so we suggested we take it to speeds of over ZO mph. Thank goodness there are always North Fork Animal Hospital in I can remember once when I was a some that survive,for they add a Southold,where Dr.Pisciotta is famil- kid,there was an old garage that had delightful touch to our world that's iar with birds. been built into the side of a bank.The getting smaller and smaller. We called a few days later to see windows were probably six feet from Last week we had an interesting call how it made out and were sorry to the ground.One time when I was wan- from a farmer on Sound Avenue in hear it had died.It was an interesting dering about,I went into this old Riverhead.He said he had found a story just the same,and acquaints you garage and to my surprise I saw a rab- hawk by his chicken coop.Well,that's With one of the great little hawks we bit crouched beneath some rubble.I natural because wherever there are see here on Long Island.It's always shut the garage door and thought I'd chickens there is usually something to Worth our effort to try to save the pick him up.You wouldn't believe it eat.But before we get into that let's dwindling number of hawks as there but when I went after that rabbit,it review just what kind of a hawk it was. are so many things working against He said it was small(about robin them:loss of habitat,pesticides,a size) and quite colorful,which meant it �'hole host of diseases.It's remarkable could only be a kestrel or,as it was We still have some of them around. called in the olden days,a sparrow And so,every time you see one of hawk.This is our most common small these little hawks perched on a tele- hawk.It is a trim little hawk.Usually phone wire or fence post,count your- we find it perched along the edge of self lucky. the wouds,in isolated trees,on tele- phone wires,any perch where it can get a sweeping view of the countryside, for it lives on mice and voles and an occasional small bird.More likely it will hunt insects such as grasshoppers, beetles,crickets,etc.I'll never forget,I had an old piece of farm equipment up in back that the kestrel always perched