Day 48: Not a Bunny

When we lived in Madison, we often caught sight of cute little wild bunnies in the small backyard behind our apartment (say it 3 times fast - "bunny, bunny, bunny!"):

Perhaps we welcomed so many of these visitors thanks to our proximity to the UW-Arboretum, which was also home to many other types of wildlife, including the deer that occasionally strayed out into the neighborhood as well.

Once we relocated to Sacramento in 2004, we no longer encountered the adorable bunnies.  Most of our urban animal contacts instead have involved squirrels and the occasional racoons and skunks that wander away from the River into the downtown core.

However, I did finally meet the Sacramento counterpart to the Madison bunny when I started running more and headed out along the American River Parkway for longer runs.  That's when I met the jackrabbit:

The first time I saw one of these frisky critters jumping and running in the field alongside the Parkway trail, I honestly had no idea what it was.  All I could see was a lanky creature bounding along, almost like a small kangaroo, with those long ears bouncing up and down above the tall field grasses.

Since I haven't been running as much over the past couple of years, I've missed these animal companions to my workouts.  Recently, however, I've spotted a couple of them cavorting around near Raley Field by the riverfront trail on the West Sacramento side of the waterway.

So as I jogged along this morning, I specifically stayed on the lookout for something other than a flock of birds swooping in and around the area.  And I was rewarded for my attention by a jackrabbit sighting on my way back towards the Tower Bridge.

Definitely no mistaking these jackrabbits for a bunny!