Leaping and Boxing – About to take off?

Although the last week has been cold the sun has come out and the rain stopped, day-light has pulled out to be longer than night time. The Brown hares at Halls and Little Haugh farms have started to be much more visible. During the short winter days they rest in the tangled hedge bottoms and thick field margins only coming out to eat in darkness.

Brown hare pair mad June box early morning. June Suffolk. Lepus europaeus

The drier fields and growing winter cereal crops have drawn out the Brown hares into the early spring sun. They are often in pairs or sometimes bigger groups of more than ten hares. Prospective couples have started to chase each other and I have already seen two pairs mating in the distance.

It will not be long before boxing will become a common sight on the farms but, boxing at Norton is more likely to be seen in later spring or early summer. The recent cold dry weather has slowed growth but the winter crops are well advanced and any warmth and sun will make them race away hiding the hares in long growth.

On a practical note most of my brown hare photos are taken from mobile hides, these do like the strong winds and can often be found on the other side of a field tangled in a hedge if left out in windy conditions.

Hopefully as the weather calms down and days get longer the hides can go back up and I will be able to watch and photograph the Hare’s spring boxing and other action. Keep coming back to see what happens.

Brown hare sitting in cow parsley. May evening Suffolk. Lepus europeanus

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