Emma's Safaris

It was a sunny morning when I first caught sight of a Hare a long way away on the boundary of a private field. They were so far away from me in fact that I wasn’t actually certain that they were hares. I was torn between the blissful optimism of a positive Hare ID and quiet confidence that I was looking at an oversized bunny.

Do not get me wrong, rabbits are absolutely beautiful, sweet animals that I love to photograph. Some of my favourite images are of rabbits in the early morning sunshine and although they are always a pleasure to see, I have been searching for Hares since I moved to the area over a year ago.

I had hoped that I would catch the March Hare boxing season. This is when the females most commonly will fend off the advances of male Hares. It seems the females are very selective about who will father their babies. They also box as a means to show off to one another in a feisty but spectacular courtship.

I had not been blessed with the opportunity in Early Spring to witness this spectacle but there I was standing on a field boundary leaning over a five bar gate straining my eyes and my camera zoom as far as possible.

Phil was pretty certain after seeing my images that they were Hares and to back this up a wildlife Facebook group provided confirmation to me. Apparently they are clearly Hares due to their muscular form, slender faces and huge black tipped ears

After this encounter I visited the same spot on multiple days and I was lucky enough to catch sight of them on the boundary of the field at a vantage point that was helpful in terms of photography on one particular occasion.

These two were sitting as if waiting to be photographed next to each other just by the long grass. I was able to view them for a moment as they observed me, confident that they could certainly take flight and clear the field faster than I could climb it if I was so inclined.

I of course was keen to not trespass and wanted too provide these nervous animals with space.

Unlike Rabbits, Hares do not create burrows to live in. They actually make small indentations on the ground to rest. For this reason, they often prefer fields that have good wooded edges or areas with long grass so they can hide.

Leverets (baby hares) are born in the Spring and they are born with fur and fully able to move around and explore. They will often be left by their parents in these indentations in the ground or in long grass during the day.

It is therefore particularly important that if you own a dog, you consider the possibility of encountering Leverets while walking through fields. During the Springtime it is a legal requirement if on open access or common land to keep your dog on a short lead to protect ground dwelling mammals and nesting birds.

I decided this morning to head out in search of more Hares. It seemed a potentially fruitless adventure as these animals had been regularly extremely far away making viewing enjoyable but photography a challenge.

I walked over my usual route and very quietly opened a gate and stood very still on the boundary of the field and sure enough two large Hares ran around the border of the field having a little box and a play. I was able at this point to capture my first image.

The image was somewhat out of focus but I was still happy with the clean in motion shot. What happened next was unexpected.

The larger of the two animals broke away and began bounding up the fence line towards me. I brought the camera down to my chest and stood stock still. I was fairly certain that she would disappear into the long grass and that would be today’s venture over. But she didn’t.

I watched in disbelief as she continued to run in my direction. She would pause every now and again to observe me. The temptation to grab my camera was strong but I didn’t want to scare her.

Patience is absolutely vital with such nervous animals. I had to show her I was no threat.

She was about 20 meters away from me when she stopped, a hairs breadth from my vantage point and then she sat. I slowly picked up my camera a took my first tentative shot just as she raised her beautiful head to nibble on a blade of dried grass. She still eyed me with suspicion and I found myself barely breathing, unable to move in case I broke the spell and sent her flying off into the grass.

Surely I couldn’t be this lucky ? Hares can run flat out at around 40mph. They are one of the fastest mammals on earth and there was no way I was going to keep up with this. She however seemed either accustomed to me being there or she just was quietly confident that she could out run me, because we stayed with each other for about ten minutes.

The photos that followed are beyond anything I thought would be possible to take

She is resting comfortably in most photos. Her fur is a perfect mix of sunburnt brown and stone grey. She sat for me, relaxed and even took some time to groom herself as I have seen them do on many occasions at distance.

I am certain she saw me, her amber eyes trained on me at most times. I marvelled at how beautiful she was, how strong het delicate and how her long beautiful ears were tucked so perfectly on top of her head.

I love seeing all animals while walking. Even animals that I see every day like pigeons and squirrels are a joy to witness but there is something so special and captivating about seeing  animals that you have longed to observe and endlessly searched for. The joy I felt today is very powerful indeed.

Thank you as always for reading my blog and for your support and positivity. Have a beautiful day everyone

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