Hare raising business
17th May 2023
I have been lucky enough this year to have two different hares raising leverets in the field opposite our house.
Many an early morning hour has been spent watching them from the landing window searching for their babies in the long, dewy grass.
As idilic as it sounds it has proven to be relatively stressful for them and for me. Predatory birds such as crows and buzzards circling above, ardent male hares in pursuit of a mate and low flying geese abruptly and nosily landing in the same field. The nerves of those two hares are surely tested everyday.
Demonstrating actions beyond the call of duty the other morning I even ran outside in my pyjamas to become a human scarecrow to frighten off those jet black, opportunist vultures. Crows are just too clever for their own good with incredible memory recall of where food maybe on offer.
Last year we had leverets in the garden so fingers crossed this years batch survive the first month of existence, wriggle through the hedge, cross the lane and come into the sanctuary of our garden.
Many an early morning hour has been spent watching them from the landing window searching for their babies in the long, dewy grass.
As idilic as it sounds it has proven to be relatively stressful for them and for me. Predatory birds such as crows and buzzards circling above, ardent male hares in pursuit of a mate and low flying geese abruptly and nosily landing in the same field. The nerves of those two hares are surely tested everyday.
Demonstrating actions beyond the call of duty the other morning I even ran outside in my pyjamas to become a human scarecrow to frighten off those jet black, opportunist vultures. Crows are just too clever for their own good with incredible memory recall of where food maybe on offer.
Last year we had leverets in the garden so fingers crossed this years batch survive the first month of existence, wriggle through the hedge, cross the lane and come into the sanctuary of our garden.