Not March

Not March but certainly a hare! Creeping as silently as I could towards what could have been just a lump of mud, I managed to get this shot before it upped and fled!

Lying low sometimes in depressions called forms in ploughed, arable fields they are very difficult to spot because of their camouflaged colouring blending easily into the earth. Walking through the stubble this morning, having been given another lead on where to spot them I was scouring the fields with the camera. So many false trails to lumps of mud and piles of straw which could possibly have been hares lying low I was getting a bit despondent. They keep motionless relying on their colours and because of the flatness of the land they can see you coming a mile off but you can't see them; get anywhere close and they lope off to the edge of the field to hide.

They eat young grass and herbs, redigesting their soft droppings; have about 3 litters a year with approximately 1 to 4 babies between February and October and have a life expectancy of 3 years. Not affected by myxomatosis, the main predator is the fox followed by birds of prey.

I was so pleased to get this as I'd been walking for 2 hours, pacing the fields with nothing showing! I will try again for a closer shot but for now I've got to get back to Hubs as the MIL is going to be ambulanced off this afternoon to be looked after in hospital after a week of trauma with her foot.