Mysteries and suspicious goings on

After checking the lambs the other day, I was watching the golden rabbits. I could have sworn that a magpie was playing chase with the baby bunnies. Why not? Ravens play with wolf cubs? I know there's a difference - ravens and wolves cooperate and magpies and rabbits don't... but, who knows?

i was smiling at the thought of inter-species tag, when I got into my car. I pulled forwards and saw something very very grey, size of a fat squirrel, in the wood. It went to a tree and seemed to leap at it and fall down. I thought it was a squirrel as it ran for a tree and I was just thinking it must have changed its mind when I saw it had no tail. Or rather, it had a bunny tail. But it wasn't a bunny... it moved... in strange leaps and springs and its ears were short, I am sure it had ears like a squirrel.

I was in a state of confusion and wonder. What could it be? I stopped the car and got out - there it was, it had halted but turned and fled - again with these big upward leaps - like a stotting gazelle - in between jumping-running strides.

Legs of a rabbit, tail of a rabbit... but the ears?? I must have been mistaken... That stotting run?? And all the rabbits I'd seen were brown and golden, very definitely brown, not a very definite grey!

It fits no known species. I think it is a mystery lagomorph.

Before I move on to the sex, here's some eye candy.

A colourful hare I painted for my dad's birthday - copying a lovely painting I found online.

So, to creatures I can recognise.

I went into garden with my trusty bat detector and the red light torch - as I didn't want to tread on a hedgehog as I walked up the path. I thought I would put nuts on path so that if there were no bats, I might see a hedgehog.

As it happened, I did hear bats - soprano pipistrellesI This was a delight - my first this year. But behind the slapping clicks, I could here rustling behind me. Somewhat unnerving. I turned the torch on the path and, yes, a hog was eating... but there was still this rustling. I tried to focus on the bats.

When I couldn't hear them, I turned to the path and saw the hog eating... and heard the rustling still behind me - somewhat unnerving. Then the hedgehog stopped eating and came up the path right toward me. She turned off and went across the lawn to the place where the rustling seemed to come from - then bolted and ran down the lawn into cover.

The rustling continued. The bats came back and I was trying to listen but then I thought, if it's not a hedgehog rustling, what is it? I switched off the detector, turned on the torch and stepped onto the lawn, following the hog's footsteps. Then I saw the hedge in front of me swaying and knew the hedgehog was walking through it back toward the sound. The torch beam followed and, yes, there was the second hedgehog. This time, they closed together.

I was about 1.5 m away with the red light torch on and they didn't notice. I watched as the female huffed kept her head facing the male as he circled, trying to get behind her. I was standing there spellbound.... until I decided I was being was intrusive. I went inside - with the hogs still huffing.