Baby Bunny Eating Sunflower Seeds - a photo on Flickriver

            This bunny was orphaned when she was two months old. She continued eating at the place I leave food for wild rabbits but was terrified of me. When I stood by the window she ran into the woods.

One afternoon, I was stomping dirt off my boots and startled the bunny hiding behind a bush. She bolted away but to my surprise, was waiting for me as I approached the front porch.  I stood a couple of feet away, looked in her eyes and talked gently for 15 minutes.  The sweet little girl began following me around the property and I sometimes sat and watched over her while she ate.

A few months later, all the birds, squirrels and bunnies I care for disappeared. I thought it was hawks until one day I observed a neighbor’s dog eating a dove near the bird feeder. I’d previously chased it away when observed hunting my animals. I dashed out the door but the dog disappeared into the forest, bird in mouth. 

This was the last straw and I informed my neighbor it wouldn’t be in his dog’s best interest to every show up on my land again.

Within 48 hours the baby bunny returned and ran up to me as I approached. I placed some food on the ground but after a few bites she hopped away…..and perched her front paws on a flat stone where I leave sunflower seeds for the squirrels. I realized what she wanted and told her “wait....I’m coming back.”  By this time, she’d learned a few words.

I sprinkled sunflower seeds on the ground 12 inches in front of where I knelt.  She returned to me and began eating. It was an amazing experience to photograph a wild animal from this proximity.

Taken on: November 4, 2023

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Sets appears in: • Amphibian Nursery VII

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