Thumper Evening Rabbit

Thumper here ran out of cover and started a merry little dance doing as the pseudonym suggests thumping his back paws.Is this a call ? A mating ritual ? Turf declaration? I'm interested to know.
I had been doing these rabbits over the last few days after finally getting the field cut and witnessed our resident Little Owl having a heated debate with a blackbird in his roost tree . Any suggestions on how to get a Little Owl on a post would be most welcome too.
back to the image
D3 Sigma 500mm F4,5 at f5 1/800th
ISO 400 WB day light
CR pp CS3 90%FF A3 crop.
All C/C's welcome
Thanking you in advance ..

HI Mark, nice image by the way..

The behaviour you saw was the rabbit sending out a warning probably because you were there more than anything else. They will often do it if they suddenly get spooked as well just before taring off across the grass.. I used to hear it a lot whenever there was a cat in the garden at a friends house. The rabbit hated the cats and dogs..

As for the owl, you could try putting out some worms.. It will often work quite well. Would have liked to get some more little owls myself but their nest tree blew down in the early part of the year, no sign of them since..!

Brett

Ps. Believe it or not, rabbits have almost 360 degree vision and even though he might look like he's bolting forwards he has you firmly in his sights..

Brett has already replied to your questions. Great shot, I really love the lighting on this.

David

I always understood that the thumping was a warning to other rabbits, but from the direction this one is looking you are not his perceived danger. I like the viewpoint, losing the fg and bg. This shot appeals to me, the colours are very warm as you'd expect in the evening.

I hope someone responds to your request for info about Little Owls - anything on Barn Owls would also be welcome.

Excellent shot and sweet light! Well composed too. Yes the thumping is a warning - 'I can see danger...' I always wondered if it wasn't just about the sound, but about the vibration too - surrounding rabbits, or rabbits underground in the burrow can feel the warning too perhaps?

Lovely shot, I like the 'mush' too!

Hi Mark,

A gorgeous image with a great evening light.Love the f/g mush and detail in thumper

Can't offer any other advice, but it looks as though Brett has summed it up nicely.

Regards,

Fran

Lovely light Mark, like it
Bertl

Great stuff. I can hear the rabbits from a long way off when they thump out in the meadow here. And yet I've seen a fox walk past a bunch of bunnies and not a thump!
As for the Owl-I know a guy ( wonder who ??) who used mealworms in a tin at the back of the stump. Get them coming and then nail some earthworms on with felt nails so they don't come off
John

I'd be more than thumping if I saw you leering at me from behind a bit of grass

As said mate, nice light, BG & FG - might dumb down the V sign in the grass left frame.

Goodness me John - crucifying worms

Nice atmospheric shot, i am with Andy with regards to the V-grass in the back of the image.
Rene de heer

The V sign is for you Andy after giving me a pasting on Skomer !Cheers mate! LOL
Thanks guys I had one take with the V in and one without looks like concensus is out.
The thumping reply superb . I wasn't cammo'ed up at the time but still covered by a barrier of grass and the all seeing eye ( is it a masonic rabbit ! ) seems right . The rabbit did stay for a few frames ( actually 35) before doing a flit some 10 yards further on .Thanks Brett , always reliable.
The Little owl is a sod I've tried mealworms but some in a tin at the back of the post I must try,thanks John. Not sure about crucifying worms though .I cant keep them on a 14 spade end so I doubt i'll nail em down.! Also I only have one thumb in operation after me and Andy Snape tried to do Buzzards in my field .You'd have thought nailing a road kill rabbit to a post would be easy.Doh!
thanks again all , much appreciated .

Sorry not for me. The four horizontal bands of definition, just don’t look right to me. The base zone to my eye is unnatural and then you have the sharp zone, which doesn’t look very deep, followed by the two zones in the B.G., light to dark.

Re the Little Owl and this applies to any target species. Find out what is the preferred prey and then see how the prey can be “controlled/localised”. Areas of short grass is the first requirement for Little Owls, the worms are easy to see and thus catch, seem to remember something about sandpaper, and worms not liking to cross it. If you opt for slugs, use yeast i.e. beer.

I'm still having nightmares about that rabbit....lol As for the live one in the picture, really like it, I think the zones give a depth but can see what Ray means.

Gorgeous light and pose Mark, super.

Mark

Now I thought the light enhanced this image. Re owl question a couple of squares of Cadbury's fruit and nut mice will home in on it.

Interesting stance Mark and the colours & BG work well, echoing summertime. However, agree with Andy about the grass.

Steve

Like it... nice warm light....

a lovely shot, nicely taken.

Matt

Nicely lit, interesting pose too.. Agree about the V in the grass to the left, drags my eye a little..

Nice shot overall,

Clone the V Mark and possibly use curves to lighten the side of the head only just to bring out a bit more in way of detail.
Like the lighting and low POV.
Major

Thanks all .Will adopt the critique afforded , most kind .
Will certainly try the tin can and some fruit and nut Does it need to be cadbury's?
The little sod in question , No critique necessary .