It was nearly a case of 'hare today, gone tomorrow' here on the reserve the other day, as one furry friend almost came a cropper.
At this time of year the wardening team are doing a lot of work on the reserve, including clearing vegetation off the islands in the scrapes. And they like to do it right. Rather than just go in there with brush cutters flailing, they take the time to walk through the area first. This way they can see if there is any potential problems, such as wildlife which would be in the firing line. And just as well they did. Toby, our warden, spotted a small brown shape lurking in the undergrowth. On closer examination this turned out to be this little character!
It is a leveret, a baby hare. Adults rely on their blazing speed to stay out of trouble. But youngsters tend to stay put and lurk, relying instead on their camouflage. Good for evading predators, not so much a recipe of success when a whirring metal blade is coming towards you. That would have been an unfortunate 'hare cut' and a 'bad hare day'. Some 'hare restorer', might have been required, otherwise it might have been a case of 'from hare to eternity'....
What? Oh, right. Apparently I've been banned from using any more hare puns. Oh well.
So anyway, whilst we normally would not advise handling wildlife, in this case it was in danger. So Toby carefully moved the leveret and released it into an area where it was going to be a lot safer. Now it can live on, safe here at Frampton Marsh. Don't worry, be hoppy!
Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.