“Hare” gel surely!
Feel very privileged to have at least two of them here - along with some curlews!
Hares
- Thread starter Broch
- Start date
“Hare” gel surely!
Feel very privileged to have at least two of them here - along with some curlews!
Warning dead animal pix.
Be careful what you wish for as they say - after the frustration of failing to get a decent daytime shot of hares yesterday, I stumbled over what looks like a recently deceased leveret in my woods today, in no condition to avoid my lens!
Looks more like a mini hare than a rabbit (pix aren’t pretty but I’ll leave them as thumbnails for anyone who is interested) but would welcome a second opinion.
A bit of a blow since AFAIK, single offspring are the norm this time of year.
I doubt whether our cat is the culprit and I’m sure a fox would have finished its meal but could have been taken and dropped by one of the local kites or buzzards.
A bit sad but hopefully plenty of time for them to try again.
Be careful what you wish for as they say - after the frustration of failing to get a decent daytime shot of hares yesterday, I stumbled over what looks like a recently deceased leveret in my woods today, in no condition to avoid my lens!
Looks more like a mini hare than a rabbit (pix aren’t pretty but I’ll leave them as thumbnails for anyone who is interested) but would welcome a second opinion.
A bit of a blow since AFAIK, single offspring are the norm this time of year.
I doubt whether our cat is the culprit and I’m sure a fox would have finished its meal but could have been taken and dropped by one of the local kites or buzzards.
A bit sad but hopefully plenty of time for them to try again.
I suspect hare based on the length of the rear foot and what looks like black ear tips - bit hard to tell though really.
From the oracle: one, two, or three in February, ready to mate within hours of giving birth, and can be pregnant and suckling young all through summer until September. Three or more leverets per litter from March.
From the oracle: one, two, or three in February, ready to mate within hours of giving birth, and can be pregnant and suckling young all through summer until September. Three or more leverets per litter from March.
Demonstrates another ecological concept which can't be ignored.
The Biotic Potential, the reproductive capacity of an animal population, is such that the group,
as a group, can afford to lose some juveniles to disease, misfortune and predation.
Trappers pay very careful attention to this value for sustained yield (or they stand down, knowing there's no extra some times.)
As it lags behind in terms of material and energy, you may find a predator population's fortunes riding
upon the availability of this category of prey.
The Biotic Potential, the reproductive capacity of an animal population, is such that the group,
as a group, can afford to lose some juveniles to disease, misfortune and predation.
Trappers pay very careful attention to this value for sustained yield (or they stand down, knowing there's no extra some times.)
As it lags behind in terms of material and energy, you may find a predator population's fortunes riding
upon the availability of this category of prey.
Whatever it was, it is currently being digested by an owl - I used the carcass as bait for my trailcam and got some nice stills and video shots of our resident tawny flying off with it yesterday evening. I’ll post them over on the trailcam thread.
I’ve stumbled upon a few leverets lately just sitting in the grass trying to be invisible then bolting off at the last minute and the other night I had to stick my foot out to stop the cat jumping on one.
This afternoon though I had a wonderful photo op - and adult hare lolloped along and sat about 12’ from me next to a clump of harebells! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera with me so it didn’t happen!
This afternoon though I had a wonderful photo op - and adult hare lolloped along and sat about 12’ from me next to a clump of harebells! Unfortunately, I didn’t have a camera with me so it didn’t happen!
My ride to work takes me in part down 3 ½ miles of single track lane through farm land. As I ride along on my motorbike I can see hares ahead of me scattering into the crops with the odd one running ahead of me in the road or damn near throwing itself under my wheels. Another mile or so up the road and it's rabbits doing the same thing. Potential for bagging some with a slingshot when harvest comes I'm sure. Some of the hares are huge and can shift well in excess of 30mph!
My wife’s father is buried at Pennant, we visit a few times a year as it’s a big drive but it’s one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been to. The welsh language service there is great, if they still have one. The last we went to was a couple of years ago, It’s always open and is so relaxing.
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Funnily enough I saw a hare last night in the dunes on Islay. He was the biggest chunkiest one I’ve seen. The hares at home in Perthshire are quite lean.
That would be a sad day
I saw a hare in the wood again on Saturday - the size of my spaniel with black back going right up its neck and it's years; I don't think I've seen one as dark before.
I saw a hare in the wood again on Saturday - the size of my spaniel with black back going right up its neck and it's years; I don't think I've seen one as dark before.
I’ve been a bit slack about putting my trailcam out lately but got a couple of nice hare pix yesterday evening/night!
I’ve been a bit slack about putting my trailcam out lately but got a couple of nice hare pix yesterday evening/night!
View attachment 53303
View attachment 53304
Lovely to see, such beautiful creatures. I’ve just recently bought a trailcam due to a pesky rat in my garage. Brilliant thing, we caught the rat and also a couple of mice. I’ve had the camera in there for a week now without a sighting so I’ve put it down by the compost heap where the dogs are very interested in something.
I haven’t seen a hare in a while, but I’d like to think that’s down to me not being out and about so much at the right times. I know the populations have declined over the past few years.
Those are excellent pictures. I'd admire those in a monthly calendar!
Do you find any reliable data on regional population size over time?
Here, meticulous data from the Hudson's Bay Company fur trading records
show peak to peak intervals of 9-13 years from a couple of centuries of fur-buying.
And, it's forage quality not predation at all that provides the pressures.
Do you find any reliable data on regional population size over time?
Here, meticulous data from the Hudson's Bay Company fur trading records
show peak to peak intervals of 9-13 years from a couple of centuries of fur-buying.
And, it's forage quality not predation at all that provides the pressures.
Thanks, pix are from a cheap(ish) trailcam so not the greatest of quality and apart from selecting the location, I can’t claim any credit for the results.
See the link in post #51 for more info on hare population in UK and the threats they face.
What you got?
Infrared trail cams are really good fun. Mine gets me out of bed and straight into the vid counter everyday.
I looked into budget options for seeing whether I had a rat or squirrel in my garage, pooping and weeing everywhere in my tool drawers etc. It was a rat. A now deceased rat.
Along with two very destructive mice. I bought a Toguard H40 and what was claimed to be the new version H45 and set them up together. The H40 seems to be the better of the two, so I sent an email to ask about improvements in the H45. The customer service is very good, but Chinglish. They reckon the H45 has a wider field of beam and triggers 0.3 secs rather than the 0.5 secs of the H40. I disagree, the H40 by comparison seems the better camera and triggered more times than the H45. For around £40, it’s impressive. The instructions are excellent Chinglish on start up, “Monitor what you Concern”.
. Fact is, this camera is excellent, and no problem to set up, most online reviews suggest it’s difficult. It isn’t.It fell over in the garden yesterday and presented me with 603 twenty second videos of sky with tree branches moving in the breeze and batteries still ok. The sensitivity is adjustable, so a dark and still garage or a woodland can be configured properly, as can photo and video recording time. I’m thrilled with the thing, all it’s shown in my garage for the past week is a pair of hi def Dr Martins approaching and my ugly mug.
Pics from stock. I had to post this one, it’s the bear that’s looking at the dodgy addition to his backside scratching tree. So much for camo!
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I think it’s probably here in the thread already, the stripping out of hedgerows and cover to increase production and ease maintenance haven’t been kind to our hare population.
We have a house in Mayo, West of Ireland. The next townland over from us (only about 300-400m) is called harefield. They are frequent visitors to our garden and the field behind, my wife once counted 7 individuals one morning. We also have a trailcam and they are our most numerous pics apart from day shots of the birds around the feeders. Trailcam had also picked up the local fox, and a few fleeting images of a pinemartin.
About this time last year while my wife was gardening she stood on a levert, the scream from both of them frightened the life out of me. Young hares can make quite a sound. Where he was hiding, right in beside a raised bed, my wife would not have put much pressure on him, so she jumped back and he shot off. Three days later I had to take up the cattle grid to rescue another/the same one.
They really are beautiful creatures, and a great experience to hold one for a minute or so before I released him, he also screamed at me!
Have read the running hare, very enjoyable. JLS's book on living of the land was delivered yesterday and very much looking forward to reading it.
Think this might be my first post here? I don't post much on any forum, but quietly lurk in the back ground read most posts.
Hello to one and all
About this time last year while my wife was gardening she stood on a levert, the scream from both of them frightened the life out of me. Young hares can make quite a sound. Where he was hiding, right in beside a raised bed, my wife would not have put much pressure on him, so she jumped back and he shot off. Three days later I had to take up the cattle grid to rescue another/the same one.
They really are beautiful creatures, and a great experience to hold one for a minute or so before I released him, he also screamed at me!
Have read the running hare, very enjoyable. JLS's book on living of the land was delivered yesterday and very much looking forward to reading it.
Think this might be my first post here? I don't post much on any forum, but quietly lurk in the back ground read most posts.
Hello to one and all
Hi Lugh, welcome and great first post.
I'm very jealous; you're very fortunate to have so many hares around you. The sheep grazing around here is just too intense to allow the grass to give hares cover and the farmers around here wouldn't dream of setting aside for nature
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