A few weekends ago I was up in Lincolnshire for a family gathering. To my delight, the place where we were staying was very close to an area abundant in wildlife, including (one of my favourites) hares!
Thankfully, I had brought my camera with me just in case. The weather was gorgeous and, as the day drew to a close, I was making plans to get up at the crack of dawn to see if I could nab some good hare shots...
I sneaked out of the house just before 5am as all the 'normal' people slept peacefully!
As soon as I stepped out, I was greeted with the glorious sound of the dawn chorus. I could hear the skylarks singing their melodious descending scale as they danced in the sky.
It was just the right temperature and the morning dew was still glistening on the grass - a beautiful sight in the early sunlight.
From past experience with hares, I knew that the best thing to do was to find a good spot and lie there in wait (hares don't seem to fear humans unless they are sitting or standing). However, no sooner had I set off than there were two hares, soaking wet from running through dew soaked grass, lolloping along the path in front of me! They were quite a distance away but I took some tester shots.
I held my breath and crouched down and waited. Unfortunately, the hares decided to hop off in a different direction. Never mind - a good start!
The morning was full of frustrations as I came close to getting nice shots but didn't quite succeed. Nevertheless, it was peaceful to be out in nature on such a lovely day.
After trying out many locations and not having much success, I came across a long ditch which seemed like the perfect hiding place. I stumbled down and then scrambled up the other side of the bank, getting viciously attacked by brambles. I tried to get myself into a good position with my camera up on the surface but myself hidden. It was very uncomfortable but it soon proved to have been a good idea as two pairs of ears appeared!
I waited with excitement for them to appear for the perfect shot... hoping it would happen soon so I could move into a more comfortable position!
They came closer and closer and clearly had no idea I was there. In an instant my opportunity was lost as a sparrowhawk landed in the tree behind me and I turned to look. Just as I did so, the hares jumped beautifully towards me and then tore off in the opposite direction!
Plenty of other wildlife was around so I did not despair.
As I headed back to the house, I had one more attempt. I lay down on the path (hoping no dog walkers would come past and think I was a bit weird) and waited in front of a gap in the grass. Eventually, my patience was rewarded.
Sadly we had to return to the south later that day. I made a mental note to make sure I return to this great place in August! To get successful shots, you really need to visit a location a number of times.
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