Meet Bionic Bunny a wonder of Nature

(Here is an image of Bionic Bunny ‘Pre-metamorphosis’ when he was just your average cottontail rabbit – see lower right-hand side of photo)

Ah, the Great Outdoors is forever filled with wonder and mystery and every once and awhile you stumbled across something special; that rare animal with a unique gift or attribute. In this case it is the story of how an average run-of-the-mill rabbit transformed into a ‘super bunny’ with superior bionic strength and stealth.

I should preface this story by explaining why bunnies are hanging around my deer feeder in the first place. Each morning when I inspect my deer trough and clean-off the top layer of snow or ice, a small amount of feed would spread out across the snow. The cottontails got into the habit of feeding on these small bits of feed and pellet.

Then last week when was away on holidays there was no feed scraps being spread about the snow, and one smart little bunny devised a plan to deal with the sudden lack of food.

Sure, we all know rabbits can jump as we see them hopping here and hopping there, but what would give a lowly cottontail rabbit the foresight to jump up into a feed trough to find food?

I surmised that this litle rabbit must be very special indeed. He MUST be Bionic that was the only explanation, and in the trail-cam series below you’ll not only witness this gifted animal’s thought process unfolding, you’ll observe its’ magical transformation from average Joe cottontail rabbit into – BIONIC BUNNY!

(In this image you can almost see the thought process unfold – “Man, if only I could get into that trough all the food would be mine”. He tries to climb the frame of the feeder but to no avail) 

 

(Then Mr. Bunny moves to the other side to cop a squat and ponder his options…)

 

(Sitting back on his haunches to the left of the feeder, you can almost see his little rabbit brain at work!)

 

(He ponders a bit more then something strange occurs; an actual metamorphosis begins – all right there to be captured on trailcam!)

 

(With the intestinal fortitude of a thousand rabbits, Bionic Bunny lunges upward at a lightly fast speed!)

 

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(Flying through the air in this image, you can almost see a tiny little superhero’s cape blowing behind him)

 

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(And with his master plan now come to fruition, Bionic Bunny settles-inside the feed trough for the meal of a lifetime. This clever little critter is no longer just your average cottontail. Bionic Bunny has gone where no bunny has gone before –  jumping nearly 3 vertical feet into the unknown in search of food.)

 

 

OK folks, I realize the entire tale is hard to believe had I not captured it all on trail-camera. Oh yes, and I have seen Bionic Bunny since then out in the back field. He walks a little taller than the rest of the rabbits; armed with the knowledge that at any moment he may transform again into Bionic Bunny should the need arise.

Yep, and just when I thought I had seen it all in the Great Outdoors…

 

Outdoorsguy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rare wildlife sighting for Ottawa

Stranger1

I was surprised to find these rare images on my ‘back field’ trailcam after checking it this weekend.

This little guy passed through on New Year’s Eve just a couple of hours before the arrival of 2013!

Of the over 500, 000 trailcam images I have taken since moving to Ottawa 14 years ago, I have never captured an image of this particular animal. In the forests north of town they are certainly more common, but within City Limits I would say they are a rare sight indeed.

 

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With most of the deer gone from around my property for the winter, this little guy is a sight for sore eyes.

Soooo, can you guess what fur bearing animal this is?? Here is a close-up shot:

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Outdoorsguy

 

Moose on loose Bank/Conroy area

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Anyone out travelling in the Bank/Conroy area please be on the lookout for a wayward moose(Much like the one above) spotting early this morning!

As most of you know, the Canada moose is one imposing animal and during the winter as they seek refuge, these animals are no less dangerous. Plus that, we all know the dangers of these large animals as they move closer to urban areas.

It can become as unsafe for the animal as it is for us.

Thanks to my buddy ‘Don’ for the heads-up on this one..as he notes, there are some obvious concerns with large mammals :

“Not sure how they (moose) would react to someone out walking a dog, and the dog pisses it off… not to mention that they use roads to travel when snow gets heavy, so they could pose a real threat to drivers”

On the plus side, the drop in snow depth over the past week will be met with great appreciation, I’m sure, by our local ungulate populations. I bet snow has dropped 12″ at least in my area and there’s even a decent crust.

Be careful out there folks and keep an eye out for critters!

Outdoorsguy

Happy New Year from Safari Club International

BobV

Thanks to Bob Valcov(above) – Director of Safari Club International (SCI) Canada for the great letter he sent, on behalf of all hunters across the country!

Cheers Bob and keep up the great work!

 

 

January 7, 2013

 

Hug a Hunter

 

To Jeff Morrison – Outdoors Guy

 

As we go forward into this new year, it is time to recognize and show appreciation for everything Canadian hunters do to promote wildlife conservation across our great country. It is time to hug a hunter. I borrow the term from an ad campaign in Colorado.

 

Hunters have been and continue to be willing to pay the price in terms of volunteer time and in hard cash to protect wildlife and its habitat while others either pay lots of politically-correct lip service or, even worse, simply take the outdoors for granted.

 

Hunters do more for conservation than any other group. In fact, hunter-founded conservation organizations are principally responsible for bringing back North American wildlife that was almost extinct a century ago.  Modern hunters in North America have never caused a wildlife species to become extinct, endangered, or even threatened.  The truth is, every game species that is hunted has increased in number. Hunters most probably saved deer, elk, bear and waterfowl from extinction.

 

Payments for hunting and fishing licenses are the main method of financing the management and protection of wildlife and their habitats. Hunting and fishing are essential tools in wildlife management to maintain healthy and diverse populations of wildlife. Hunting and fishing develop a sense of personal accountability for Canada’s natural resources within individuals.

 

Hunter-based conservation organizations contribute millions to conservation projects. Last year, SCI Foundation alone granted $400,000 to North American wildlife projects; more than $4 million over the last ten years.  One of these worthy projects, for example, is the Newfoundland Caribou Strategy. Over five years, the SCI Foundation has granted $250,000 to investigate the decline of woodland caribou in Newfoundland & Labrador; in other words, to establish the sound scientific evidence upon which intelligent future management decisions can be based.

 

It would be a serious mistake to discount the huge contribution made by Canadian hunters to the conservation of our wildlife and its habitat. So give a hunter a hug and thank them for their support of nature.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Bob Valcov.

Director: Safari Club International-Canada.

Suite 200, 440 Laurier Ave. W./Ave. Laurier O.,Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1R 7X6; Tel: 613-683-LYNX (5969); www.SCI-Canada.ca