Wildlife explosion at the Uconn campus

It's been raining all weekend, going hiking was out of the question. Going for a stride on campus is the next best thing. We went there a couple of weeks ago on sunday evening. The school year has ended, and the campus seems deserted during weekends. Well, it is deserted by the humans, while different inhabitants come out of the hiding. Every lawn was occupied by some critter: squirrels around every tree or a trash can, a family of rabits around the juniper brush, and numerous grounhogs around every old building. Last time we went for a walk there, their babies were very young and couldn't always run away from us fast enough. One of them froze when I approached only a few feet away and was just sitting there, pretending that he was an inanimate object. He was unbelievably cute in his fear, and i didn't have my camera with me! This time I was smart (or so I thought) and brought my camera. What I forgot, however, was my telephoto lenses! In just two weeks the babies have grown and learned that humans are danger. This is a good thing from the evolutionary standpoint, but not good when you are trying to take pictures of these adorable creatures! I could see them feeding and frolicking from a distance, but the minute I would approach to take a shot they would run.
One family let me get closer than the others.




The same story with the rabbits! Two weeks ago the little bunnies were not afraid, and now they've grown and learned!




That bunny had a point, though. There was a stray cat hiding in the bushes nearby. We weren't sure if a cat could eat a bunny. I hope not!



It is almost hard to believe that this is the same campus, just a few hundred yards away!



Note to self: next week don't forget to bring telephoto lenses!