Mad March Hares

Lucky folk might spot boxing hares this month but what exactly are they up to?

Last February I was taking my neighbour's dog for a wander down our road. There's a large arable field alongside the road and I was scanning the field as winter thrushes were bouncing from hedges onto the ground, looking for food. There was a large clod of earth in the middle of the field that just didn't look quite right. The field was quite flat with the green of a crop poking through. Why was there a large clod of earth when everything else was small? Then it moved. I'd spotted a hare. In a field on my road. Actually, there were two, sitting together. I couldn't wait to return with a camera!

As well as being a favourite of mine, hares have been important to many cultures around the world for a very long time – from the Hare in the Moon of Chinese mythology to the Egyptian hieroglyph for ‘existence’. Keep your eyes peeled at this time of year and you may be lucky to catch more than a fleeting glimpse; you may spot them ‘boxing’.

Two brown hares boxing in a field by Elliott Neep — Brown hares boxing by Elliott Neep

Hares are usually solitary but spring is mating season and the vegetation is short so there’s a better chance of seeing one. Really lucky hare-searchers may spot more and might be fortunate enough to see some sparring. Contrary to popular belief the ‘boxing’ isn’t two males fighting over a female; it’s actually a female fighting off an amorous male.

Hares are found across Worcestershire, preferring open habitats like arable fields and meadows but also found in small copses and hedgerows. Most are found where there’s a mosaic of smaller fields and where crop varieties are grown in rotation with grassland.

If you’re lucky enough to see hares boxing, you’ll see how they differ from rabbits. Hares are much bigger – just look at those powerful hind legs in the photos. These allow them to run up to a staggering 70km per hour as well as leap and bound in a way that rabbits just can't do. They may be magnificent but I'm not sure that adult hares are 'cute' in the same way that rabbits are. And what about those ears – they’re about 10cm long and are tipped with black!

Brown hare leveret sitting in grass by Andy Rouse/2020VISION — Brown hare leveret by Andy Rouse/2020VISION

They’re not just fast, sleek and beautiful. One of their most amazing features is the ability to gestate embryos of different ages. It’s called superfoetation and it means that a female can be fertilised when she’s already pregnant. Females have between one and four litters per season with one to four young (leverets) each time. Because they live above ground, leverets are born with fur and with their eyes open - they’re independent after only three weeks. They’re at high risk from predators – foxes, stoats, buzzards and owls – so each leveret is moved into its own depression in the ground, called a form. To avoid bringing attention to their young, females only nurse them for just a few minutes each day, they're fully independent after only three weeks.