The field

I am often told that that I must be very patient to take my photographs. If I was sitting in a hide for hours waiting for a Hare to come close and nothing else happened I would have to agree. This spring I have spent a lot of time in a hide watching, and trying to photograph, Hares. Fortunately there is a lot more than Hares to watch and listen to.

The top image shows the field where I have been watching Hares. It is managed for wildlife and game birds and at first glance it probably does not look like a place in which to spend a lot of quality time. This field is divided into three strips: At the top of the slope a tall “game mix” with a lot of mustard is growing; then there is a strip of mostly borage; and finally the bottom half consists of rough, un-mown grassland. To add to the charm of this field it is also used a dumping area for straw that does not meet the exacting Honeychop quality standards.

So what is to be found here? In February we carried out a bird count at Halls Farm and on this field we saw at least 50 snipe, 22 Lapwing, more than 30 skylark, 20 Yellowhammer, a couple of Corn buntings and a flock of Reed buntings. I counted birds for the British Trust for Ornithology Bird Atlas survey for 3 years, and this field had more birds than any other in Suffolk I have seen.

From the hide in the field this spring  I have been surrounded by Skylarks singing constantly, and Linnets and Goldfinches feeding on the ground. Yellowhammers spend hours feeding around the old bales along with the dozens of Partridges. Breeding Lapwings make constant alarm calls as they try to warn off anything that comes near their nest and young. This includes Hares and Pheasants as well as predators such as Crows. Since mid April there has been a Cuckoo around the field most days. Buzzards can often be seen soaring, and if they come closer the crows and lapwings fly out to mob them and try to drive them away. The real surprise to me is the pair of Shelduck nesting in a burrow in the straw.

And of course the Hares are always in the field, most active in the morning and evening, but also to be seen low down in the grass feeding their young during the day.

Needing to be patient is not a problem whilst waiting for Hares to come close, because this field is full of life and interest. It is an excellent example of how, with intelligent, light touch management, a few hectares in the middle of an intensive farm can become a magnet and haven for wildlife that is struggling to find a place to live.

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