A rabbit's life in the wild can be very brief; predation and disease are an ever-present threat. However, over the past three years, we have seen at least one rabbit family succeed at beating the odds.

Three years ago, amongst the population of rabbits in the field adjoining the Strawberry Line, we noticed a two-toned rabbit (BF). It was noticeable because of its brown body, white face, shoulders and flanks, possibly the result of an escaped domestic rabbit breeding with one of the wild rabbits. Over the years, it has become clear that this rabbit had produced offspring which we deduced from the appearance of a young white-faced rabbit with white shoulders (BFII). The most recent addition to the BF family (BFIII) has a white face and one white shoulder.

Why BF? Well, I do have a bad habit of naming animals that we see on a regular basis, BF stands for Bumface - very base, I know, but I just thought that when you see a rabbit running away, their white tail (scut) is very noticeable. So from a rabbit's point of view a white-faced rabbit....

We have developed a sneaking suspicion that the Bumface family are aware that they stand out from the crowd. They are the first to dash to cover at the approach of perceived danger (us), so getting a photograph has proved a challenge. So far this (of BF III) is the best I've managed. Pitiful isn't it?!