Cottontail

This Eastern cottontail was out early one morning as I was walking.  I was happy to be able to get so close to it - usually they run away very quickly at the least sign of my approach.

It was a shy little thing, but still brave enough to keep just a few steps ahead of me as it was eating its way along the path.

One interesting fact about rabbits, is that they excrete two kinds of droppings - hard and soft.  The soft pellets contain undigested material, and are immediately eaten again.  In this way they can get more of the nutrients out of the raw plant material they have eaten.

Eastern cottontails do not dig burrows, but make nests in small depressions in the earth or among grasses or brush.  They are, of course, the epitome of the word "prey" and are eaten by foxes, coyotes, bobcats, owls, and hawks, among other predators.