Hares

[daveO]

Until then I've got rabbits and buzzards but I'll be thankful for that.

I last shot a hare well over 25 years ago. I can remember getting it on the table to skin and gut and looking at this beautiful quite big wild beast I felt nothing but remorse; I'll probably never shoot another one again.

I'll look up The Running Hare; sounds good.

If you didnt get the book for xmas let me know as I got given a spare copy.

 

[Broch]

If you didnt get the book for xmas let me know as I got given a spare copy.

Thanks for the offer but I did

When the house empties later today I'll light the fire, pour a glass of something, and start reading it. After the chaos of the last couple of days it will be absolute bliss

Cheers,
Broch

 

[daveO]

Clearly you've been a good little boy this year. If you enjoy it you'll probably like his other books too. 'The wild life' has loads of good foraging stuff in there.

 

[Nomad64]

Mrs N and I have only recently discovered JLS but both love his writing style and subject matter - he lives not too far from us on the English side of the border and the landscape he describes is very familiar.

Mrs N pinched my copy of the Running Hare and I have not had the chance to finish it but she has redeemed herself over Xmas - I got a copy of the new JLS Secret Life of The Owl book and and recycled copies of his Foraging and England books.

We are lucky enough to have at least one resident hare who we catch the occasional glimpses of during the day and has been caught on the trail cam at night a few times. Magical animals.

 

[Nomad64]

Just checked the trail cam and we had another visit late last night!

 

[daveO]

Nice. What trail cam do you use?

 

[Broch]

Just checked the trail cam and we had another visit late last night!

Excellent!

As well as 'the Running Hare' I was given the RSPB Spotlight book on Hares by Nancy Jennings this Christmas; it's full of very interesting facts and figures and some great photos.

 

[Nomad64]

Nice. What trail cam do you use?

A Crenova one similar to this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crenova-Wi...14392368&sr=1-1&keywords=crenova+trail+camera

No idea how it compares quality wise to other models because I have not used anything else but it has been very useful for keeping an eye on what is out and about.

 

[Nomad64]

Another rather misty “harecam” pic from a slightly different location.

 

[Broch]

Another rather misty “harecam” pic from a slightly different location.

View attachment 47703

Now you're just making me very jealous!!
Great stuff

 

[Nomad64]

As a gentle reminder to make sure the hens are safely shut in before dusk, the previous day, the “harecam” got a rather crisper pic of this guy!

 

[Broch]

As a gentle reminder to make sure the hens are safely shut in before dusk, the previous day, the “harecam” got a rather crisper pic of this guy!

View attachment 47707

A great shot!
Do you mind telling me what camera you're using please; your pictures are a lot clearer than the ones I get on my 'Little Acorn'.

 

[Nomad64]

A great shot!
Do you mind telling me what camera you're using please; your pictures are a lot clearer than the ones I get on my 'Little Acorn'.

Crenova

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V9HPAB2?tag=busuk-21

 

[Broch]

Crenova

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V9HPAB2?tag=busuk-21

Ta

 

[daveO]

Not Hare related but Lewis Stempel's latest book is book of the week on radio 4 if anyone fancies a listen (21 days left to listen) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09vzyd7

 

[Nomad64]

Caught sight of our resident hare in the middle of the day for the first time today - plenty of tracks in the recent snow so I knew he or she had survived the cold snap but until now, sightings have been limited to early morning, dusk or at night on the trailcam.

 

[santaman2000]

Im told there were a lot of hares on the dunes here once but not any more.

Do they compete with rabbits?..........

I was about to ask how the rabbits were doing. It would seem if they "compete" then they'd need similar habitat and forage?

 

[Broch]

I don't believe rabbits and hares compete particularly. Hare's main foods are herbs and cereals then grass whereas a rabbit's main food is grass (though they will eat other herbs). Rabbits need ground where they can burrow; hares need vegetation cover for their forms. There is a full scientific study on the matter though (A Review of Competition between Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and Hares (Lepus europaeus)) but at £200 for the publication I think I'll give it a miss

Rabbit populations around here fluctuate considerably with some years very few then others a lot. From my own observations myxomatosis flares up every few years and that then reduces the population for a couple of years. So far this year appears to be a reasonably high one - so plenty of rabbit meals

 

[Nomad64]

Caught sight of our resident hare in the middle of the day for the first time today - plenty of tracks in the recent snow so I knew he or she had survived the cold snap but until now, sightings have been limited to early morning, dusk or at night on the trailcam.

Another pleasing hare sighting yesterday - one ran out of a hedge a few feet from me jogged across the field and sat with another one for long enough for me to be tempted to go and get a camera by which time they had gone.

Saw one later lurking under the Landy - perhaps ep80/90 is like catnip to them!

 

[daveO]

Saw one later lurking under the Landy - perhaps ep80/90 is like catnip to them!

If it sat under there long enough it would be like hair gel for him.