Forest jackrabbit
Don Boucher
attention on their site) whose property is just outside of Philomath.
One of the photos confirms Black-tailed Jackrabbits on their property.
It's a forested area not too far from farmlands. The trailcam
(black-and-white) picture is no doubt a Black-tailed Jackrabbit and was
taken in August 2011. The track photos, taken during recent snows, don't
seem to be cottontail or brush rabbits but I can't rule out snowshoe
hare (which occur on Marys Peak). The lower range of track and bound
sizes of snowshoe hare and black-tailed jackrabbit are similar but the
jackrabbit's upper limits exceeds the snowshoe. So the the tracks are a
tricky call from looking at just a couple photos. I'm not very savvy on
the ID of jackrabbits and hares
It's interesting that jackrabbits are showing up closer to Philomath. I
know they've been a regular, but not numerous, presence in Bellfountain
for years. I hope it's a good sign but I I'm afraid that they may be
victims of displacement.
-Don Boucher
Corvallis
Karan Fairchild
plantations in the Willamette valley. I speculate their abundance in these
areas could vary depending on the amount of non-conifer foliage and cover
present, this now largely dependent on the types and timing of herbicide
sprays used. They also browse on conifers and shrubs, but favor a broader
range of foods over the year. A X-mas tree grower might tell you if they
are a nuisance. I've occasionally seen cougar tracks through plantations,
along with coyote tracks, where there isn't much other suitable prey
available, but certainly plenty of cover.
The times I've found snowshoe hares in the eastern Coast Range, it's always
been at higher elevations, 2000 ft. plus. But I haven't looked for them
enough to be certain they don't sometimes occur lower down, or in the valley
fringe foothills. Towards the coast, they occur at all elevations.
In some places around Philomath, snowshoe hares might expand downslope from
higher coastal forests. There is little to no contiguous hare/jackrabbit
habitat from Marys Peak to the Greasy Creek valley, where each respectively
occur, and where we live in between. We've ever found only brush rabbits at
our place.
Jackrabbit populations may also fluctuate widely in the Willamette Valley,
due to forage and predation pressure changes. From anecdotal road kill and
night driving sampling, I couldn't speculate on overall population trends,
but a concern for their persistence in the Willamette Valley is
understandable. Don mentions displacement: he may be referring to direct
loss of jackrabbit habitat, or possible displacement by the introduced
eastern cottontail, now abundant in the Willamette Valley. Possibly
unrelated, some studies show cottontails dominant and aggressive towards its
cogener brush rabbit, with which it occasionally hybridizes. (Verts &
Carraway, Land Mammals of Oregon,1998).
Jim Fairchild
5 mi SW of Philomath
-Don Boucher
Corvallis
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