Hares of summer

An ongoing project to capture hares resulted in some lovely summer moments spent with these joyous creatures

Isuppose most people think of hares as a spring subject – ‘mad as a March hare’ and all that – but, of course, they are with us all year round.

They are rather skittish and unpredictable, but with a little patience and a smattering of luck, good things can come to those that wait. The secret to finding and photographing the hares in this project was time, research, preparation, fieldcraft, time, luck, an abundance of patience – and did I say time? I finally found a couple of fields they resided in and subsequently gained permission from the farmer.

I spent many summer evenings waiting for these endearing creatures, and yet my favourite encounter was by chance when one lolloped towards me whilst walking to an area they frequented. I immediately plunged to the ground, desperately hoping that the nettles I’d briefly noted weren’t as close as I thought (I was wrong!). I froze, trying to avoid scratching or breathing, to let the hare become accustomed to this strange blob on the ground before pressing the shutter. I normally take shots at intervals, rather than ‘spraying’ to avoid frightening them. This nets a few safety shots should the hare ‘hare’ off. Thankfully, it couldn’t have been more comfortable

if it had worn slippers and a smoking jacket, gradually making its way towards me, either stopping to munch on thistles or hopping happily. Coming to a stop around 15 feet away, I quickly fired off a few shots. After a few magical minutes in its company it promptly scarpered.

One evening I noticed two hares feeding in the distance. Crawling slowly towards them over a considerable time, I was rewarded with a few ‘on the lookout’ poses just as twilight wrapped itself around the field. I left without them knowing I’d even been there, and that’s always the goal.

There is always an element of luck in wildlife photography and the backlit hare shot is no exception. Spending two hours prone on damp ground in a place I’d researched for two years is not the lucky part. The luck came when Brer Hare walked by so closely I could have touched it – and right in front of the setting sun. There was only time to fire off a couple of shots, but I couldn’t have been happier.

The secret to finding the hares was time, research, preparation, fieldcraft, time, luck, patience – and did I say time?