On the trail of the elusive cottontail

 By Beth Sullivan

While most people are thinking of reindeer at this time of year, some of us remain focused on rabbits. New England Cottontails to be exact.

A bit of history:  There are two cottontails in CT.   The native one is the New England Cottontail (NEC). The more abundant, and frequently seen, Eastern Cottontail (EC) was introduced many years ago as a game animal.  The EC was more competitive and adapted to fragmented fields, forest edges and neighborhoods while the NEC is at home in dense growth, thickets and briar patches.   It is impossible for any but the very best experts to try and identify them in the field. They appear identical, but they are distinct species and do not interbreed.   Over decades the NEC population declined steeply, partly due to the competition but also due to loss of habitat. As old farm fields were abandoned, there was a period when the thicket and young growth was perfect for NEC, but now, those lots have grown into mature forests, with little ground cover, and many areas are fragmented by neighborhoods and development, suitable for EC. 

Three vials of pellets, labeled and ready to be processed. Photograph by Andrea Petrullo.

 

Young forest habitat

The young forest habitat, as it is called, or early successional forest, has become scarce. And with habitat decline, a large number of other species associated with that habitat declined as well. While biologists were noticing the NEC decline, they also noted loss of grouse, woodcock, blue-winged warblers, rufous sided towhees, as well as certain reptiles, amphibians and insects all part of that ecological niche.  Over fifty species dependent on that dense, young thicket growth were imperiled. Numerous organizations, including DEEP, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Fish and Wildlife Federation, partnered with land-owners, public and private, including Avalonia, to create suitable habitat.

In 2013 The Peck and Callahan preserves were managed for this purpose by cutting older growth and opening up the land for new.  You can read older posts about this project here , here , and here . The biologists believed that if we gave the nearby population of NECs a welcome mat, they would find the area and colonize it. This occurs frequently along powerline corridors where animals can move safely from one place to another in safe shrub cover.   Over the last several years we monitored the site. We photographed the growth of plant life, noted the return of numerous different bird species, abundant insects and saw signs of other wildlife using the area. Neighbors reported larger mammals using the area, such as bobcats and coyotes, but how could we tell if we had any New England Cottontails?

 In 2012 there was no place for a rabbit to hide and we could walk through easily.

 The first growing season offered little cover, except the large brush piles.

By 2018 the same area was lush habitat.

Now the area is thick and dense with young trees and shrubs even in winter, except where Eversource continues to cut.

 We marked this as a photo point. The first year there was nothing growing. Now the stems are numerous.

 

In search of bunny poop

Well, it’s interesting and an adventure not everyone would appreciate. The only way you can definitively identify NEC is by DNA, and that DNA is found in their pellets. Yes, whatever you choose to call it: pellets, scat, feces, it is bunny poop!   And to find it you have to hunt for it. It is a lot easier when there is snow on the ground making them easier to see.   Sometimes you just have to take an opportunity when it arises. About a week ago, I was contacted by Andrea Petrullo, a contractor to the DEEP Wildlife division through the Wildlife Management Institute. She is the New England Cottontail project’s lead technician.   We had to go on a Sunday to avoid the hunting in the area, and there was no snow on the ground; everything was shades of brown.   We donned heavy duty briar proof and moisture proof bib overalls ( so lovely) over our warm clothes, boots and gloves and armed with clippers, cell phones, and lots of paperwork for Andrea, we headed deep into the preserve. It was not easy. We had to push our way through some of the densest vegetation I have ever had to deal with, and much of it was covered with sharp thorns.  But when searching for signs of rabbits, you have to think like one. We got down low, followed small paths in the underbrush and noted nibbled plants and woody stems. A rabbit nips a stem with a very sharp bite, at a 45-degree angle, which is very different from how deer eat, leaving a ragged, torn flat top, often higher up from the ground.  And when bunnies eat, their pellets can’t be too far away.  As Andrea and I combed back and forth through the brush, we had conversations about topics only other naturalists/biologists would appreciate, such as the finer distinctions between fresh and older excretions-color, distribution etc.  We did have fun and after about 3 ½ hours, we had discovered at least 12 distinctly different locations to collect specimens. They were collected into special vials, marked and labeled, as well as identified by GPS location.

When we emerged, we were beat up, jackets torn and hands scratched up, but we were enthusiastic that we had so many specimens.  While it is possible that there could be regular Eastern Cottontails in there, the habitat is not to their liking, and it is much favored by New England Cottontails. Andrea took the specimens, and will keep them frozen. The DNA tests won’t be run until next summer, as it is an involved process and they do many samples at the same time.  The young forest looks bleak at this time of year; all woodlands do. But if you know how and where to look, you can be rewarded with findings only a biologist could appreciate.  

Look closely and you can see the stems are nipped with a very sharp bite at a 45-degree angle. Rabbits for sure.

With protective clothing, Andrea could get deep into the briars.

 

Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless otherwise indicated.

A young forest

By Beth Sullivan

Back in 2012 we began with a small germ of a proposal to take the Peck/Callahan Preserve, a mature forest area with diminished benefit to wildlife, and create a new habitat, one that is scarce in Connecticut-a young forest.

These early stage landscapes are rare in Connecticut for many reasons. Farms that were abandoned grew into to young forests at first, but have now aged via the process of normal succession into more mature woodlands. Fires and other natural disasters have often been managed, so widespread forest destruction is rare. And, where woodlands are cut, it is often for development and the landscape becomes fragmented with suburban accessories such as homes, yards and roads. None of these support the wildlife that needs thick dense low-growing vegetation. There are approximately 50 species in Connecticut that rely on this type of habitat. The best example was the New England Cottontail that was one the edge of becoming endangered in our state.

So Avalonia embarked on an ambitious project, with guidance from USFWS and DEEP and large grants. Approximately 28 acres of older growth forest were cut leaving some tall trees to provide shelter and seed sources. It was a pretty barren and bleak landscape when the project was completed. There was very little greenery at the end of the cutting. There was woody debris laid on the ground. This is known as slash, and it provides soil nutrients as it decays. We also created dozens of brush piles with some of the debris, which provide immediate shelter for all kinds of wildlife.

Before the project, the trees were tall and there was no understory for wildlife.

This summer the growth is taller than a person and is dense.

Right after the cutting, the brush piles were easy to see and the group was bare. Photograph courtesy DEEP.

The same view, and the brush piles are covered with vegetation creating a lush landscape. Photograph by D. Young.

See our progress

We monitored the area yearly. You can read about our progress here.

Now fast forward to this summer. The young forest is developing beautifully. At age 5, it is prime habitat for providing dense cover for many species. There are no barren spots or unproductive openings. The vegetation is varied and includes small trees as well as vines and shrubs bearing fruits and many berries. The berries are favored by birds and mammals. Smaller flowering plants have popped up in the sunny openings providing nectar sources for all sorts of insects. The insects in turn attract more birds of various species. The only downside to all this wonderful growth, is that it is now impossible to walk through it at all. We used to be able to wander through the entire 28 acres with little difficulty. Now it is grown and tangled and dense-bad for people, but perfect for New England Cottontails and their friends.

In July, a team went into the area to assess the growth. One Avalonia member, brought his drone and we were accompanied by DEEP biologists who have followed this project from the beginning. We launched the drone and kept an eye on the video screen, and it flew in a zig zag pattern across the landscape and also followed the boundaries to places we could not get into. What we saw and photographed was pretty amazing.

A towhee is a target species that benefits from the young forest. There were several singing the day we were there.

It's easy to see why the landscape is great for wildlife and impossible for humans.

The drone comes in for a landing.

A burst of green

The entire project area was covered in green. From low growth ferns, the height rose to Low Bush Blueberries and Huckleberries loaded with fruits. Great for birds and small mammals, even Box Turtles . There were many mid-height shrubs and lots of vines. There were viburnum, more blueberries, wild grapes, blackberries with crazy thorns, and green brier with more thorns, all providing great hiding places and food as well. The cut trees had sprouted new growth, and many of them had new stems over our heads. There were also saplings of a wide variety of trees, from baby Oaks and maples and hickory and sassafras and many young tulip trees descended from the one beautiful tall one we left standing.

The brush piles were nearly obscured by greenery too. Perfect cover and homes. The biologists were thrilled with the growth. The drone was able to cover areas we couldn’t get to by foot and, we could pick out individual areas that we wanted to observe more closely. The photography was great.

While we stood and monitored the drone flight, we were so pleased to see a large number of dragonflies and other insects which attracted a number of birds. We watched tree and barn swallows, as well as chimney swifts and phoebes and peewees in flight catching their food. Indigo buntings and towhees sang from low shrubs. Bluebirds and gold finches also were heard as well as some of the other species we look and listen for along powerline cuts, and they can now spread into our young forest.

This report could go on enthusiastically for many more pages. It was gratifying to see the results. It was a hard decision early on, to do this kind of project, but seeing the vast new diversity was heartening. We were excited to use the drone as a new tool for monitoring difficult properties, and I know we will go back each year to compare.

The one thing we did not see was a New England Cottontail. But we did see signs that rabbits had nibbled several twigs and shrubs. Hopefully they are hiding in the brush piles.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless otherwise noted.

New England Cottontail makes a comeback

By Beth Sullivan

Since 2013 I have been writing about our New England Cottontail project on Avalonia’s Peck and Callahan preserves in Stonington. Not accessible to the public, people have had to rely on written reports and photos to follow the progress.

We have laid out the welcome mat. Now we wait.  Photo from USFWS.

New England Cotton Tail returns

The New England Cottontail was determined to be in danger of needing Federal protection due to plummeting populations. They are out-competed by the non-native Eastern Cottontail that is highly adaptable to living near people and our homes and gardens. The New England Cottontail (NEC) needs shrubby, overgrown thickets of dense brush, of the kind found decades ago when farm fields were abandoned and were overgrown. Once the fields progressed into forests which are now abundant in our state, the NEC had less desirable places to live, they didn’t breed successfully (like rabbits are supposed to do) and thus the population dropped.

Studying the problem, the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined it would be far better to try and stabilize the population, create habitat, rather than allow it to further decline and need federally mandated protection. Since 2012, we worked with USFWS, CT DEEP and the Wildlife Management Institute to help create a big block of habitat up in the woods between Pequot trail and Route 184.

Last year this area was low and sparse. Now perfect habitat. 

You can read about the progress and process here, here, and here.

Last week representatives from several federal agencies and teams from New England States met in New Hampshire to celebrate a success story. Because of all the efforts to study and restore habitat in focus areas throughout New England, it was determined that the NEC did not need to be placed on the Endangered Species List.

Plentiful berries of several species provide food.

The next question seems to be: Why is that a good thing: don’t they still need protection?

The NEC will continue to need protection and monitored to make sure all the work done to create habitat is successful in having the rabbits move in and thrive. Studies will continue over the next years as the project areas regrow into the young forest habitat they need. Teams will go out in the winter when the ground is covered to collect rabbit pellets to check for DNA confirmation of NEC presence. THAT will be success! Then plans can be made to continue to work with this habitat management system, keeping it in rotation of optimal size and level of growth, and work with other land owners to provide more of the same.

Under the powerlines, the habitat is dense and thick.

If the New England Cottontail had been placed on the Endangered Species list, there would have been a huge, bureaucratic need to install protections on large territories where the rabbits might be located and restrictions placed on areas where they are found. Private landowners could lose the choice of being able to create habitat or not, to develop their land, or not. The expense to list and then protect a species far outweighs the money spent to provide what it needs to keep it off the list.

A large Black Rat Snake probably finds many small mammals to eat.

The added benefit of the work, is that there are a number of other species, about 50 in CT alone that benefit from the newly created habitat. Some of them were heading toward that E-List themselves.

Since our project was completed in August of 2013, we have visited a number of times. The area is almost impossible to walk through: Excellent for rabbits. Berry bushes cover the ground providing fruit for all manner of animals. It is teeming with more wildlife than ever before. We have counted new birds, noted many new insects in great numbers, and reptiles and amphibians as well.

Walking through the preserve in no longer easy.

On behalf of a special bunny, we are all grateful for funding by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Long Island Sound Futures fund (LISFF), the efforts of the USFWS, CT DEEP and those supporters who had the vision to proceed with the project.

We will keep you posted.

Link to The Day article on the NEC is here.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

Project Update: Bring on the Bunnies at Peck Preserve

By Beth Sullivan

Back in 2012 we faced a big challenge-do we practice active management on one of our preserves when it entailed cutting trees and creating what would be seen, by some, as a giant mess? Did it align with our mission? It was supported by all the major wildlife organizations, but would it be supported by those who love trees?

You can read the details of our decision and the process in earlier blogs here, here, and here.

The goal was to create young forest areas which would support numerous species that are in decline because of decreased habitat necessary for their survival. The only way to create young forest is to remove the old and unproductive, over-mature forest that had ceased being supportive of a wide variety of species and then wait while the new growth becomes established and inviting to these species.

It took months of assessments and preparations, volumes of paperwork, permits and plans. We were convinced and supported, and we were ready, but when the first trees fell, it was still heart wrenching. As those first months passed and we saw the extent of the work, it was hard at first to feel confident we had done the right thing. We watched. We monitored. We documented. We waited.

Before- an uninviting woodland with no understory protection.

Immediately after- it looked like a depressing mess.

Now-the area is deep and thick with protective cover.

Fast forward to now

This past week we took a little walk through a neighbor’s trail that leads out to the power line that connects to our Avalonia Peck Preserve. We hadn’t been out there since last fall. We had been concerned because the Eversource Power Company had gone all up and down the power line and really changed the habitat. Huge pads were created with fill and gravel and hardened at the base of the poles. The roadway was widened and also graveled and no plants could grow through. This was a real blow to our overall hope for the area as the powerline itself, with its (formerly) long uninterrupted corridor of low brush, was perfect habitat to allow migration of species to our new site-a welcome mat of sorts. Over the last year we had a lot of discussions with various members of the Power company team who did promise to do some remediation. We were not the only ones concerned about the habitat change along the lines.

Our first view of the power line was a little upsetting still. Bushes were gone around the poles and the pads were still bare of any vegetation. But we did notice that topsoil had been added and seeds spread. So now it looks like we wait yet again to see growth that will provide cover and protection for those species using the area. Sadly, the disturbance of soils and addition of new soil introduced and spread non-native and invasive plants to the area. They will require treatment to control.

The hardened pads and gravel roads are uninviting.

But, here’s the good news-the project area on Avalonia land was almost unrecognizable from a couple of years ago. Of course there are only a few tall trees. Those that remain were left to be a seed bank and provide some needed perches and habitat. The rest of the area has grown into a very dense shrub area that is generally impenetrable for humans. It is exactly what we were hoping for, and exactly what the New England Cottontail and others require. As we walked, we were listening for the bird species we hoped would be using the area. We heard Blue Winged Warbler, Eastern Towhee, and Prairie Warbler, all new to the area. They had noticed the welcome mat! There were also a number of other birds that had moved into the open areas and also moved back and forth to the wooded edges. A pair of Baltimore Orioles chased each other across the openings, Yellow Warbles and Common Yellow-throats called from low bushes. Bluebirds sang from all over. There were Eastern Pewees, woodland birds, coming out to the open perches and zipping down to feast on the numerous insects that are now present. There were numerous butterflies, dragonflies, bees and flying insects in the air and tons of grasshoppers in the low growth.

Now there are areas covered with berry-bearing plants.

We will be doing breeding bird surveys at various locations in the project area.

Brush piles were over grown with protective native vines. There were swaths of low growth where Huckleberry and low-bush blueberry are now thriving in the sunlight. And they are loaded with berries.

I could go on and on. It was exciting to see the change, the healthy growth, abundant greenery and protective cover. It was heartening to see all the species.

No bunnies to be seen, yet

Of course we didn’t see any New England Cottontails. That’s the whole point. We wouldn’t see them. But through the summer we will be assessing breeding birds and looking for other species. Sometime in the fall we will do another stem count. And this winter, when conditions are right, we will go out and look for signs that the rabbits are present: we will collect their DNA in their pellets. Yes…it will be fun.

Thank you to all who supported this project and helped us keep the faith.

Beth

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

New England Cottontail hops back

In honor of the unofficial start of spring, we re-post an earlier feature on Avalonia's work to restore habitat for the New England Cottontail.

By Beth Sullivan

Since 2013 I have been writing about our New England Cottontail project on Avalonia’s Peck and Callahan preserves in Stonington. Not accessible to the public, people have had to rely on written reports and photos to follow the progress.

We have laid out the welcome mat. Now we wait.  Photo from USFWS.

New England Cotton Tail returns

The New England Cottontail was determined to be in danger of needing Federal protection due to plummeting populations. They are out-competed by the non-native Eastern Cottontail that is highly adaptable to living near people and our homes and gardens. The New England Cottontail (NEC) needs shrubby, overgrown thickets of dense brush, of the kind found decades ago when farm fields were abandoned and were overgrown. Once the fields progressed into forests which are now abundant in our state, the NEC had less desirable places to live, they didn’t breed successfully (like rabbits are supposed to do) and thus the population dropped.

Studying the problem, the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined it would be far better to try and stabilize the population, create habitat, rather than allow it to further decline and need federally mandated protection. Since 2012, we worked with USFWS, CT DEEP and the Wildlife Management Institute to help create a big block of habitat up in the woods between Pequot trail and Route 184.

Last year this area was low and sparse. Now perfect habitat. 

You can read about the progress and process here, here, and here.

Last week representatives from several federal agencies and teams from New England States met in New Hampshire to celebrate a success story. Because of all the efforts to study and restore habitat in focus areas throughout New England, it was determined that the NEC did not need to be placed on the Endangered Species List.

Plentiful berries of several species provide food.

The next question seems to be: Why is that a good thing: don’t they still need protection?

The NEC will continue to need protection and monitored to make sure all the work done to create habitat is successful in having the rabbits move in and thrive. Studies will continue over the next years as the project areas regrow into the young forest habitat they need. Teams will go out in the winter when the ground is covered to collect rabbit pellets to check for DNA confirmation of NEC presence. THAT will be success! Then plans can be made to continue to work with this habitat management system, keeping it in rotation of optimal size and level of growth, and work with other land owners to provide more of the same.

Under the powerlines, the habitat is dense and thick.

If the New England Cottontail had been placed on the Endangered Species list, there would have been a huge, bureaucratic need to install protections on large territories where the rabbits “might” be located and restrictions placed on areas where they are found. Private landowners could lose the choice of being able to create habitat or not, to develop their land, or not. The expense to list and then protect a species far outweighs the money spent to provide what it needs to keep it off the list.

A large Black Rat Snake probably finds many small mammals to eat.

The added benefit of the work, is that there are a number of other species, about 50 in CT alone that benefit from the newly created habitat. Some of them were heading toward that “E List” themselves.

Since our project was completed in August of 2013, we have visited a number of times. The area is almost impossible to walk through: Excellent for rabbits! Berry bushes cover the ground providing fruit for all manner of animals. It is teeming with more wildlife than ever before. We have counted new birds, noted many new insects in great numbers, and reptiles and amphibians as well.

Walking through the preserve in no longer easy.

On behalf of a special bunny, we are all grateful for funding by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Long Island Sound Futures fund ( LISFF), the efforts of the USFWS, CT DEEP and those supporters who had the vision to proceed with the project.

We will keep you posted.

Link to The Day article on the NEC is here.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.