Over the last couple of days I have found at least half a dozen dead rabbits around my bit of land. Fully and half grown, all of whom looked fit enough (apart from being dead) I have seen them around recently and none of them seem to have myxomatosis Anybody else with a bit of land seen this recently? As a ps, no-one shooting around here
I was going to say perhaps the batteries are flat... But, seriously, the only way rabbits have of keeping cool is to remain in their burrows. They can't sweat or pant and are prone to heatstroke which can easily progress to death. So I would hazard a guess the recent hot spell has done for them.
100s of healthy ones over our fields this year (until the kites get their claws on them anyway). Almost like a rabbit boom compared to last year.
Mother Nature? The only way these little "bastards" survive because their mums and I let them. "F...K like rabbits... ... many must die , otherwise our world would be ruled by these little shits and all Ducati dealers would go broke, because rabbits can't ride a Ducati.
Cheese toastie & a pint, Ham toastie & a pint, Cheese & ham toastie & a pint, Drops dead. Oh dear... looks like we may have another case of mixin' me toasties I'll get me coat.
Have you ever seen a red kite actually hunt anything because all the ones we have over my way are skiving bastards that just rummage through bins and eat roadkill. I’ve not seen any dead or dying rabbits, nor have I heard any of the locals mention anything either in person or on the WhatsApp group
Yeah, the Red Kite isn't a Raptor and as Expat says the larger portion of it's diet is carrion (&, like a buzzard, worms) hence why it is most often seen wheeling & soaring looking for such. Although, as our wise old country farmer wood delivery man mentioned, it doesn't pass up the opportunity to take prey. Even though it wasn't seen the folks at the back of us lost one of their bantam hens to a kite... well we're pretty sure it was a kite because it comes back every few days just in case there's another.
RHD? https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2043892/rabbit-haemorrhagic-disease-cases-britain Inform DEFRA Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301
