When we first bought our Littleton, Colorado, farm, in 1990, there were no cottontails on the property; this was clearly related to the fact that red fox were denning beneath our barn. Once coyotes killed or scared off the fox and I discouraged the coyotes from hanging around, cottontails reappeared and gradually reached a large (and somewhat destructive) population that peaked within the last couple of years.
Having been out of town for much of this fall, I returned last week to find that cottontails were nearly absent. No signs of fox or coyote activity (e.g. scat) have been evident though red-tailed hawks and great-horned owls have always been regular visitors and recent sightings of a northern goshawk suggest it may be partly responsible. The lack of complete carcasses seems to rule out disease and tufts of fur about the farm indicate that most of the cottontails have been victims of predation.
Since our small farm is one of only a few left in the area, it is a refuge for many species of native wildlife but also reflects the swings of population that occur related to changes in food availability, weather and predation. Our resident cottontail population appears to have crashed.
Having been out of town for much of this fall, I returned last week to find that cottontails were nearly absent. No signs of fox or coyote activity (e.g. scat) have been evident though red-tailed hawks and great-horned owls have always been regular visitors and recent sightings of a northern goshawk suggest it may be partly responsible. The lack of complete carcasses seems to rule out disease and tufts of fur about the farm indicate that most of the cottontails have been victims of predation.
Since our small farm is one of only a few left in the area, it is a refuge for many species of native wildlife but also reflects the swings of population that occur related to changes in food availability, weather and predation. Our resident cottontail population appears to have crashed.
