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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 6:38 AM
Vascilli Vascilli is offline
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The Hares of Calgary

Perhaps you have noticed my user title, it reads "Hare Expert." Although I may not be the definition of expert, I do know more about hares than any other animal that lives in this city. My username "Vascilli" is derived from the name/mispelling of one. (Long story, a girl in Cochrane and a typical summer day..) Onwards with the information.

To the layman/idiot, when they see one they will say "Oh look at the bunny/rabbit etc etc" but they don't know they are dead wrong. They aren't rabbits, they're hares. Specifically, they're white-tailed jackrabbits. Now the same layman/idiot may wonder "Hmm well what's the difference?" and that's when I tell you that baby rabbits are born without fur, open eyes, and remain completely dependent on mom for a few weeks before they're even mobile, whereas hares are born completely furred with open eyes and become mobile in less than half an hour. One could say hares are the hardcore version of rabbits, Rabbit 2.0 if you will.

Now we know what they actually are, but what about them? You say "But Vascilli, we want numbers!" and I say "Here you go, numbers to see!"

Their cruising speed is around 60km/h, with bursts of up to 75km/h.
Their mass is 3-4kg, quite substantial.
At top speed they can make strides of over 20 feet.
Home range is usually a few square kilometers.
Average litter size is 4, can be as low as 1 and high as 6. I've only seen 3.

"Well Vascilli, that was fun" you say, "but where would I find one?" Now that's a good question. They do like having a nice place to live, don't we all?

They make nests in places with good cover, ideal locations are under your deck or in a ravine.
Just like us, they make use of the same routes, essentially their own road system.
They enjoy eating leaves, look around bushes but expect them to eat grass more often.
Much to the chagrin of us, they are ground dwellers and will almost never be anywhere higher than the ground.
Any place with a park or large area of grass can have a hare or five.
During high winds, especially during winter they will make use of windbreaks, ideally trees with branches hanging to the ground from the weight of snow.
Sometimes during the summer you'll find a lazy one sprawled out somewhere warm for a good nap. The best place for a good sunbathe seems to be concrete pathway tiles or the like due to their heat retention. Do not expect them to be snoozing away in the middle of the street though, they're not dumb.
They are most active during dawn and dusk, but this may change as they learn that there are the least cars and people in the middle of the day.

Well now, you know what a hare is like, and where they are, now you've seen one and what do you do? Naturally, you pay a visit. My best tips after a few years of interaction.

Lie down and appear to be small. Hares seem to have bad depth perception and will not know how deep you are. Crawl towards them like a snake to minimize your vertical and horizontal size.
Do not make sudden movements. Pending on their age and experience, you can come within a few feet of them as long as you're smooth and sleek.
Breathe through your nose. I always do and I don't think it makes as much noise.
Empty your pockets of anything that can make noise, including change, keys, and electronics.
Do not wear bright colours. I've generally gotten closer without scaring them while wearing darker, more neutral clothes.
Use other noise as cover. If a car drives by, use it as your chance to move closer quickly.
If they do hop off a bit (They usually won't bolt at first) then make the approach again from a different angle. Go back, around, then come in again.

Now you can get close, but what fun is that if you can't record it? Keep this one fact in mind: Hares have a higher hearing frequency than humans. This means..

If recording video, use solid state storage, such as the video function on a point and shoot camera or a SD based camcorder. They will probably hear the whine made by the tapes in a camcorder or even the spin of a DVD or hard drive.
If taking pictures, be as quiet as possible again. Turn autofocus and/or shutter noises off.
They can hear the shutter of an XTi very well, sometimes even if you're inside.
They cannot hear the shutter of a 1D II as well because of it's lower noise. Keep AF beep off again.
They will probably hear the whine made by any optical-based image stabilization.

Excellent, you now have some good pictures or video, but if you haven't already, then what fun stuff could they be doing?

Wiping their nose with their front paws. Girls probably think this is cute.
Squeezing under a gate.
Taking a nap.
Eating.
Spying on someone. I've seen them lie perfectly still and flat, then raise a single ear and tune it into someone talking across the street.
Cleaning themselves. They can stretch their rear legs and groom their own feet without turning around.

"Hmm, that's fun. What other fun things about them do you know, Vascilli?" Well, you'd be surprised..

They hate crows. I saw one being pecked by a gang of them and he got pissed.
Girls are a bit bigger than boys.
They can swim.
When they change colour from white to brown, their stomach and tails stay white. (Hence the name)
They can see behind themselves without turning their heads. Keep this in mind.
Their fur changes colour regardless of the actual landscape, it's a time thing.

Follow these tips and you'll find yourself flat on your stomach in the middle of a park, crawling towards a tiny hare with a huge SLR. Don't mind the weird looks your friends give you.

Some of my work:










This last one was taken with my 1D II and 200mm f/2.8L II. (Total cost used: $1500) The first shot with my new 200mm, I got much better results. I'd credit it to the lower sounding shutter on the 1D II, the lack of IS to make noise, and the silent USM autofocus. I got a dozen shots without any real reaction besides acknowledgment that I was about six feet away.

I hope you learned something, and remember that hares are not scared of you, they just don't like you.
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  #2  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 9:45 AM
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Awesome, There was a hare that went hopping by me at the PLC after I got my cast off on Wednesday, I had my camera with me but it was buried in my bag...
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  #3  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 12:22 PM
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I see these guys in my alley pretty much every day around sunrise and sunset.
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  #4  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 12:39 PM
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I call 'em bunnies anyway. Easier to compare to the true rabbits of Canmore.

For anyone perplexed by that statement, visit this area of Canmore. About 20 years ago, someone released some domestic (pet) bunnies into the wild, and they've flourished. Local folks don't like hurting animals for the most part, so nothing's been done and the bunnies just about own that part of town.
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 1:04 PM
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I don't mind these guys. It's all the poop they leave behind on my sidewalk that I'm not thrilled about. Interesting facts!
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 1:48 PM
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Bunnies!

Any information on the bunny population explosion in the Bridgeland area?
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  #7  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 1:53 PM
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Neat info. What is life expectancy?

There's a pretty good sized group that runs around together on the south side of Glendale, probably based out of the park that runs through there. Up to four chasing each other from lawn to lawn! Lots in Brentwood, north of Northmount too.
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 2:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed View Post
I call 'em bunnies anyway. Easier to compare to the true rabbits of Canmore.

For anyone perplexed by that statement, visit this area of Canmore. About 20 years ago, someone released some domestic (pet) bunnies into the wild, and they've flourished. Local folks don't like hurting animals for the most part, so nothing's been done and the bunnies just about own that part of town.
Funny, that was what I heard about the hares in Bridgeland and Renfrew as well.
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  #9  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 2:59 PM
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Originally Posted by sauril View Post
Funny, that was what I heard about the hares in Bridgeland and Renfrew as well.
As Vascilli points out, hares != rabbits. These are (formerly) pet rabbits, as opposed to what you normally see in Calgary - the big jackrabbits. It wouldn't surprise me if we have some domestic bunnies in Calgary as well, however.

I noticed a large increase in the hare population here that corresponded to the free-roaming cat ban. It happened about 10 years ago in Winnipeg and the rabbit (not hare) population exploded!
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 3:22 PM
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I know we've got a decent population on the U of C campus, probably the easiest place to get pictures as they've become quite used to people. I walked past 4 or 5 that were sitting on the grass near 24th Ave and University Drive last night, and they were only about 10 feet from where I was walking and didn't really move. One of them had already turned brown, the others were pretty much pure white still. Usually the best place to spot them is on the east side of campus between the Admin building and Crowchild (I've seen close to a dozen in a group in that area at a time before), and occasionally a handful will make their way into the Swann Mall area (by the Prairie Chicken and the pond).

As for the domesticated rabbits around, I know they've been a problem in Valley Ridge in the past, though it tends to ebb and flow over time depending on populations of other animals such as cats.
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 3:33 PM
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We've got a ton of them running around Tuscany. I feel bad for the poor bastards, being a hare in Calgary must be a real bitch. They turn white in the winter and then it chinook's and all the snow melts. They stand out like sore thumbs, Mother Nature is cruel sometimes.
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 3:43 PM
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Originally Posted by lubicon View Post
We've got a ton of them running around Tuscany. I feel bad for the poor bastards, being a hare in Calgary must be a real bitch. They turn white in the winter and then it chinook's and all the snow melts. They stand out like sore thumbs, Mother Nature is cruel sometimes.
They also attract a lot of coyote action, at least on the other side of Crowchild.

IF there's a connection between the cat ban and the hare population, I gotta say - talk about unintended consequences. Ban the cats, import coyotes!

Then again, I think it's kinda fun to have wild dogs prowling my neighbourhood. They make quite a racket yipping and howling at night. It adds to the ambiance of tumbleweeds blowing down my street (the joys of a new development where half the homes don't have lawns).
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 3:43 PM
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You're a good writer, Vascilli. I'm impressed that you're still just a high schooler. I wish my students (more of them, I mean) wrote as well as you do.

All that said- "they're not rabbits; they're jackrabbits" doesn't seem to support your "they're dead wrong" very well.
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 4:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed View Post
They also attract a lot of coyote action, at least on the other side of Crowchild.

IF there's a connection between the cat ban and the hare population, I gotta say - talk about unintended consequences. Ban the cats, import coyotes!

Then again, I think it's kinda fun to have wild dogs prowling my neighbourhood. They make quite a racket yipping and howling at night. It adds to the ambiance of tumbleweeds blowing down my street (the joys of a new development where half the homes don't have lawns).
The coyotes I see are definately not hurting. These ones are all fattened up and looking good, not like the scrawny ones you typically see.

Ever notice all the 'Missing - have you seen our cat' posters on the mailboxes in your area? Seems like there are a flurry of them in the new areas as people move into the area and let their cats outside not realizing they are tasty snacks for teh coyotes. I've heard several cats meet their maker in spectacular fashion during summer nights when our windows are open. It sounds horrible.
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 5:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lubicon View Post
Ever notice all the 'Missing - have you seen our cat' posters on the mailboxes in your area? Seems like there are a flurry of them in the new areas as people move into the area and let their cats outside not realizing they are tasty snacks for teh coyotes. I've heard several cats meet their maker in spectacular fashion during summer nights when our windows are open. It sounds horrible.
Huh, you're right, I've definitely noticed them but never made the connection. Being a Stephen King reader I ascribed that to a far more sinister conspiracy.
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Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 10:06 PM
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But are they tasty?
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  #17  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2009, 10:12 PM
Vascilli Vascilli is offline
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Originally Posted by furrycanuck View Post
You're a good writer, Vascilli. I'm impressed that you're still just a high schooler. I wish my students (more of them, I mean) wrote as well as you do.

All that said- "they're not rabbits; they're jackrabbits" doesn't seem to support your "they're dead wrong" very well.
Thanks for the kind words, English is generally one of my better subjects (92% in ELA 10 pre-IB) but although they're hares, their name is still the white-tailed jackrabbits. All jackrabbits are hares. (Weird, hm?)

Quote:
Originally Posted by AirGuitarChampion View Post
Neat info. What is life expectancy?

There's a pretty good sized group that runs around together on the south side of Glendale, probably based out of the park that runs through there. Up to four chasing each other from lawn to lawn! Lots in Brentwood, north of Northmount too.
Sources say usually a few years, but some have said as high as 8. I'd put a good estimate at 5 years. 8 is more likely out in the wild far away.

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Originally Posted by Bigtime View Post
Bunnies!

Any information on the bunny population explosion in the Bridgeland area?
I must investigate this. Lack of predators is first thought.
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Old Posted Mar 21, 2009, 10:27 AM
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Excellent info, thanks for sharing!
There doesn't seem to be any (at least that I've seen) here in Vancouver but I used to see them all time when I lived back in Calgary and they seemed to be more evident in recent years. I used to work at Renfrew Chrysler and there were a ton of them guys running around the lot. Which would explain why I saw the odd coyote as well...
Nice pics, too!
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Old Posted Mar 21, 2009, 7:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lubicon View Post
The coyotes I see are definately not hurting. These ones are all fattened up and looking good, not like the scrawny ones you typically see.

Ever notice all the 'Missing - have you seen our cat' posters on the mailboxes in your area? Seems like there are a flurry of them in the new areas as people move into the area and let their cats outside not realizing they are tasty snacks for teh coyotes. I've heard several cats meet their maker in spectacular fashion during summer nights when our windows are open. It sounds horrible.
We have the same problem in Ramsay. Cats go missing here all the time. My dog while normally a pacifist goes completely apeshit when he sees a coyote.

Being a city dog, I'm surprised that he even knows what they are, but he does and he hates them with a passion. Must be in his genes.
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Old Posted Mar 21, 2009, 9:13 PM
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We have the same problem in Ramsay. Cats go missing here all the time. My dog while normally a pacifist goes completely apeshit when he sees a coyote.

Being a city dog, I'm surprised that he even knows what they are, but he does and he hates them with a passion. Must be in his genes.
Coyotes are wild dogs who usually don't hunt in packs. Their scents are probably offensive to a dog's nose.
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