a first for me - Desert Cottontail

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I've always really loved the entire Lagomorph family, and treasure any opportunity to photograph a species in that order for the first time. . On Thanksgiving weekend I went to southeastern Utah and had my first ever experience with Desert Cottontails.

They only came out in early morning and late evening, so I only got to photograph them in low-light conditions. . But they were fairly cooperative and eventually (after 3 days) allowed me to get pretty close, so it worked out.

The vertical one is the only 3200 ISO shot I have ever taken with my 1D4 that I have actually been content with, even after using the camera for 4 years. . I think the only way I got away with that high ISO is by over-exposing, then bringing the exposure back down in post.

But my focus shouldn't be on the gear and the settings - shame on me! . My focus should be on the rabbits themselves because they are so freakin' awesome! . Such cool lookin' little dudes. . Love 'em!

Very good especially for 1/60 @ 731mm! I don't see myself repeating that(and not because my longest lens is 600mm ).

Congrats, Tom! Those are adorable.

Really like the first photo Tom. The pose and the composition and colors are wonderful. Well done.ߘ

Like these shots Tom, looks like it was a challenge with the lighting, 1/60 makes me say wow too with that set up.
Seeing this post raises a question, I shot a Rabbit in Arches NP a couple years ago thinking it was just like my Eastern Cottontail, never gave it any thought until now. So would I have shot a desert cottontail or ? When I saw him it was very late evening, I only had an 18-135 but managed to get a few decent pics of it while it appeared to be feeding on Cedar/Juniper type berries that had fell on the ground. Anyway this made me go looking for those pics and edit them which brought back a lot of memories of that day.

Grizz1 wrote in post #18540402
Like these shots Tom, looks like it was a challenge with the lighting, 1/60 makes me say wow too with that set up.

What makes it so challenging is the fact that I have no Image Stabilization with my 300-800mm. . If there was IS on that lens, 1/60th wouldn't be any problem at all. . But without it, I have a lot of shots that aren't sharp because of camera movement. . Contrary to what a lot of people think, Image Stabilization is extremely helpful, even when you have your rig supported by a very stable tripod.

Grizz1 wrote in post #18540402
Seeing this post raises a question, I shot a Rabbit in Arches NP a couple years ago thinking it was just like my Eastern Cottontail, never gave it any thought until now. So would I have shot a desert cottontail or ?

These Cottontails were shot in Arches N.P., too. . According to the Park Service biologists, and every online source of biological information I could find, the only Cottontail species to live in that part of Utah is the Desert Cottontail.

I have found that Eastern Cottontails, Mountain Cottontails, and Desert Cottontails look so much alike that I would not ever be able to tell the difference. . In many areas, their ranges overlap, meaning that if I find a Cottontail in one of those areas I would never be able to tell which species it is. . But, fortunately, in the region around Arches, there is just the one species present.

Using relative ear size is an unreliable method to distinguish species, and cannot be counted on.
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Grizz1 wrote in post #18540402
When I saw him it was very late evening, I only had an 18-135 but managed to get a few decent pics of it while it appeared to be feeding on Cedar/Juniper type berries that had fell on the ground. Anyway this made me go looking for those pics and edit them which brought back a lot of memories of that day.

Yes, they do seem to stay out of sight (presumably in their burrows) until very late in the evenings. . It's awesome that you were able to get decent pics, especially considering you were using an 18-135mm! . Did you happen to see him up at the end of the road near the campground?

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Tom, I learned how much IS helps me the hard way. I happened upon a group of 5 Whitetailed bucks last fall in S Dakota that were getting serious in a sparring match. In my excitement upon finding them I forgot to turn the IS on and most of my photos are going in the doc bin.

I did some research too and you're answer is spot on, I must have the Desert Cottontail because of it's location. I need to spend some time photographing my local Cottontails, I've provided them with a lot of habitat but ignored them with my camera. After reading about and discussing these little guys, it has me more interested in trying to get some good shots.

Grizz1 wrote in post #18540433
After reading about and discussing these little guys, it has me more interested in trying to get some good shots.

That's great!

They are so cool and spending time with them is so rewarding. Once you hang with them for a day or three, and they get used to you, they start behaving more naturally in your presence, and that's when you get to see them do some interesting things and strike some funny poses, like this:

The last one is a cool shot, many ways to caption that. He knows you're not a Coyote but may be be danged scared of that big lens

If I get some pics I'll let you know. I have several Rabbits on my East farm, they are wintering in heavy cover, brush piles that we made for them in a ditch. Also have wild berry thickets they enjoy. They will be easy to find but getting good light and clear shooting will be a challenge.

Cute bunnies. "Onion sauce, onion sauce!" (Mole annoying the rabbits in 'Wind in the Willows').