Wildlife October 2010

[Maggi Young]

that's a distinctly domestic looking bunny. Some poor child is probably heart broken

I suspect not, Martin... all over the county there are colonies of black bunnies. These have either escaped or been set loose and have found a happy home in the wild. There are certain areas where one can almost always be sure of spotting a few, mixed in with the usual grey rabbits and with a selection of mixed colours trwon in showing the progress of the gene mixing!

 When I first saw black bunnies like this in the fields I thought as you did that some child was missing a pet..... then I realised that  it was too much of a coincidence that only black bunnies were escaping or being chucked out ( and that does happen)- it seems the black ones not only adapt well to feral life but the colour gene is quite prominent.

[Diane Clement]

When I first saw black bunnies like this in the fields I thought as you did that some child was missing a pet..... then I realised that  it was too much of a coincidence that only black bunnies were escaping or being chucked out ( and that does happen)- it seems the black ones not only adapt well to feral life but the colour gene is quite prominent.

On some of the Scottish Islands it is common to see black rabbits, and I thought it is to do with inbreeding of melanistic genes.  Isn't it the case with pheasants as well?

[Anthony Darby]

Plenty of black bunnies around the Dunblane, Bridge of Allan area. Falkirk too.

[Roma]

Martin, there have been black bunnies in the wild population here as long as I can remember (well over 50 years).  There was one in the field where my ponies were grazing early last summer.  I watched it grow from a baby to an adult then it died from myxomatosis which has been been quite common here in the last few years and has kept the population in check.  A few local cats, buzzards and foxes try their best but cannot keep up with the rate of breeding.

[Maggi Young]

When I first saw black bunnies like this in the fields I thought as you did that some child was missing a pet..... then I realised that  it was too much of a coincidence that only black bunnies were escaping or being chucked out ( and that does happen)- it seems the black ones not only adapt well to feral life but the colour gene is quite prominent.

On some of the Scottish Islands it is common to see black rabbits, and I thought it is to do with inbreeding of melanistic genes.  Isn't it the case with pheasants as well?

I think that is surely the case there, Diane..... the occurrence of parti-coloured "Dutch" and "english" type bunnies in the populations I describe suggests that the colour breaks there are more due to the hand of man.  

I think the black ones persist, "down the line"  because of the natural predispositon for those  melanistic genes

[Martinr]

Well, you do learn something new every day. How I've managed to go 56 years without seeing one in the wild is incredible. I've actually seen more Scottish wild cats! More = 2, which is verging on miraculous.

[Maggi Young]

To be sure, one Scottish Wildcat must be worth at least a  hundred black rabbits. 

[Gail]

We get black rabbits fairly frequently around here.  There were reports of black squirrels but I've not seen any.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-561946/The-pack-mutant-black-squirrels-giving-Britains-grey-population-taste-medicine.html

[Anthony Darby]

A couple of Sundays ago I watched a quartet of swans swimming up the Forth past Cambuskenneth near Stirling. Three mute and one Australian black. They had moved to Alloa by Sunday.

[David Lyttle]

In the feral rabbit populations here I have seen black bunnies (most common colour variation) blue bunnies ( more a slaty grey) and once in a remote alpine valley ginger bunnies. The latter seemed to be in high numbers and were running around with normal bunnies. At the time we were not allowed to keep domestic rabbits so these colour variants arose spontaneously in wild populations.

[Paul T]

Anthony,

Are the occurrences of "wild" black swans common now?  I'm assuming that over the years quite a number have escaped, but have they ever added to the gene pool?  Do white and black interbreed?

[Anthony Darby]

I don't think they interbreed Paul, but we don't usually see them outside parks. It was interesting to hear from a colleague that he'd seen the quartet a week after me. I suspect it's just a group of young bachelors?

[Ragged Robin]

9 mute swans flew overhead this morning in a V like geese - a spectacular sight! 

So many swans on the river it has been an extraordinary year for survival of cygnets

[Roma]

I am wondering how wild my black rabbit really is.  It sat on the grass this morning and watched me come down the steps and into the car.  As I have not chased it, it maybe just does not feel threatened.  It's been eating my crocus flowers so its days may be numbered.

[Anthony Darby]

Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run!