Hares

[Clive Tee]

The brown hare population on our farm seems to have almost disappeared. I can't remember the last one I saw. There used to be loads and we encouraged them by leaving unmowed strips and boundaries etc. I think all the buzzards take the leverets and now we have red kites as well, and I'm guessing the kites finished the job off. Great shame, I love hares.

Just wondered how others are finding their hare population is getting on? Or is it just us???

_

 

[spin cycle]

now i think of it..i've seen less......was cultivating wed and disturbed a leveret....little while after a buzzard was hanging around

 

[frustratedfarmer]

We have to control them to keep the hare coursers away, had about 40 off 400'acree recently.

We have always had them in reasonable numbers but the kites and buzzards certainly take them out too, despite what the office environmentalists say

 

[Jon]

Mine look well so far, huge groups on the fields now, although I also worry about our local buzzards, three of them now, and I'm sure I've seen one fly off with a Leveret last year.

 

[Bury the Trash]

I miss them only had a few around here - there used to be a family or 2 but they disappeared about a year or so ago ... kids used to call them 'the Big Bunny' ...

 

[Blod]

We are heaving with Kites, buzzards and worst of all, goshawks, have been for years and can't keep chickens out but still got a fairly steady if small population of hares.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

far too many up here

 

[bovrill]

Biggest danger to them here is the pikeys and their 'dags'!
(I seem to have written this an awful lot of times on threads about hares!)

 

[Bury the Trash]

Ploughing yesterday and counted 9 buzzards ..... but actually the beagles paid a visit last year .....

 

[Dr. Alkathene]

European Brown Hare Syndrome can wipe them out aided and abetted by increased predation by birds of prey, foxes, badgers, mustelids and pikeys.

 

[J 1177]

The two legged vermin get them round here but there is one big bugger round here that can run like the wind and the gypos cant get he always makes me smile when i see him

 

[Ashtree]

The brown hare population on our farm seems to have almost disappeared. I can't remember the last one I saw. There used to be loads and we encouraged them by leaving unmowed strips and boundaries etc. I think all the buzzards take the leverets and now we have red kites as well, and I'm guessing the kites finished the job off. Great shame, I love hares.

Just wondered how others are finding their hare population is getting on? Or is it just us???

_

I've had them year on year in one field. See them a lot in the autumn when I'm strip grazing this field. It's a bit wet so I leave it over grow and strip graze a few cull cows on it. Like you I leave a good margin for the hare plus leave the last qtr acre.
It's always great to spot a few of them again in spring time. Good to know they survived the winter.[emoji57]

 

[db9go]

I've had them year on year in one field. See them a lot in the autumn when I'm strip grazing this field. It's a bit wet so I leave it over grow and strip graze a few cull cows on it. Like you I leave a good margin for the hare plus leave the last qtr acre.
It's always great to spot a few of them again in spring time. Good to know they survived the winter.[emoji57]

We have always had a lot here until the pikeys started now we are down to single numbers and dropping about 5 years ago we had counted over 120 hares in on day

 

[Sonoftheheir]

A pair here and a pair at the other farm. Lots of buzzards here now too and marsh harriers. Never saw a buzzard here till a couple of years ago. Marsh harriers seem to be breeding well too.

Hardly see a partridge or pheasant either.

A great shame.

 

[Briar]

Plenty up here. Walking the mutts at night normally see at least a dozen with the NV.

 

[rc mx110]

Got a few here.
Always love seeing them.
1 went through the mower last year could of cried I was so pee'd off

 

[Clive Tee]

No hunting here (well not directly on our farm anyhow) so it's either the hare syndrome disease and/or predation. Shame, love hares. Maybe they'll come back, I'll leave even more long grass for them next year, see if that helps.

 

[yellow belly]

Hares here now increasing after 2012 when they had a very poor breeding year
They prefer blocks or wheat and do not do very well in blocks of osr
I have seen buzzards take newly born leverates but never seen a red kite take them yet

Controlling foxes must help the local keepers ensure we have very few

 

[chipchap]

Got a few more about than there was 10 years ago.
They tell me its because the badger population has for some unknown reason plummeted.