I went back out and the rabbit had hurried away. So I checked where we have had nests in previous years, and sure enough, there were two little ones squirming around. I saw something in the grass where the mama had been, and realized why she had not run away immediately when she saw us. She was in the middle of birthing the third baby! There it was squirming in the grass, helpless with no mama in sight. It was getting a little windy, and the baby was getting cold since it was still wet from its birth. So I gently scooped it up, and tucked it into the nest with the litter mates. They looked like little wet, wiggly cigars.
My two favorite bunnies. The one on the left is my little buddy. They will soon leave the nest with their mama, and I will miss them, but we know all little ones must leave the nest eventually. They are very happy.
Of course, mama came back, and over the next 24 hours she made a nice, warm nest with her fur and leaves. I check on them every day, and on July 4th I took one out to cuddle. Too cute! They have heard my voice and had my scent since they were only minutes old, so they don't seem to mind when I visit them and want to hold one or all of them. Neither does their mama. Only one has become a little bit of a "Nervous Nellie", but still loves to burrow down in my hand with the others for little visits.
I'm just praying the hawks will not swoop down when they start running around with their mama as they prepare to leave the nest in a few weeks. I take my dog out on a leash in a fenced yard so that she will not discover them. We've had that happen before, and the end result was sad. But she does what comes naturally.
For other animal lovers like myself, I will post more photos on the blog as they grow. I guess they are little blessings in my garden this year.
The bunnies enjoyed a little time out of their nest for a photo. Here they are nine days old.
