Perhaps you have noticed my user title, it reads "Hare Expert." Although I may not be the definition of expert, I do know more about hares than any other animal that lives in this city. My username "Vascilli" is derived from the name/mispelling of one. (Long story, a girl in Cochrane and a typical summer day..) Onwards with the information.
To the layman/idiot, when they see one they will say "Oh look at the bunny/rabbit etc etc" but they don't know they are
dead wrong. They aren't rabbits, they're hares. Specifically, they're white-tailed jackrabbits. Now the same layman/idiot may wonder "Hmm well what's the difference?" and that's when I tell you that baby rabbits are born without fur, open eyes, and remain completely dependent on mom for a few weeks before they're even mobile, whereas hares are born completely furred with open eyes and become mobile in less than half an hour. One could say hares are the hardcore version of rabbits, Rabbit 2.0 if you will.
Now we know what they actually are, but what about them? You say "But Vascilli, we want numbers!" and I say "Here you go, numbers to see!"
Their cruising speed is around 60km/h, with bursts of up to 75km/h.
Their mass is 3-4kg, quite substantial.
At top speed they can make strides of over 20 feet.
Home range is usually a few square kilometers.
Average litter size is 4, can be as low as 1 and high as 6. I've only seen 3.
"Well Vascilli, that was fun" you say, "but where would I find one?" Now that's a good question. They do like having a nice place to live, don't we all?
They make nests in places with good cover, ideal locations are under your deck or in a ravine.
Just like us, they make use of the same routes, essentially their own road system.
They enjoy eating leaves, look around bushes but expect them to eat grass more often.
Much to the chagrin of us, they are ground dwellers and will almost never be anywhere higher than the ground.
Any place with a park or large area of grass can have a hare or five.
During high winds, especially during winter they will make use of windbreaks, ideally trees with branches hanging to the ground from the weight of snow.
Sometimes during the summer you'll find a lazy one sprawled out somewhere warm for a good nap. The best place for a good sunbathe seems to be concrete pathway tiles or the like due to their heat retention. Do not expect them to be snoozing away in the middle of the street though, they're not dumb.
They are most active during dawn and dusk, but this may change as they learn that there are the least cars and people in the middle of the day.
Well now, you know what a hare is like, and where they are, now you've seen one and what do you do? Naturally, you pay a visit. My best tips after a few years of interaction.
Lie down and appear to be small. Hares seem to have bad depth perception and will not know how deep you are. Crawl towards them like a snake to minimize your vertical and horizontal size.
Do not make sudden movements. Pending on their age and experience, you can come within a few feet of them as long as you're smooth and sleek.
Breathe through your nose. I always do and I don't think it makes as much noise.
Empty your pockets of anything that can make noise, including change, keys, and electronics.
Do not wear bright colours. I've generally gotten closer without scaring them while wearing darker, more neutral clothes.
Use other noise as cover. If a car drives by, use it as your chance to move closer quickly.
If they do hop off a bit (They usually won't bolt at first) then make the approach again from a different angle. Go back, around, then come in again.
Now you can get close, but what fun is that if you can't record it? Keep this one fact in mind: Hares have a higher hearing frequency than humans. This means..
If recording video, use solid state storage, such as the video function on a point and shoot camera or a SD based camcorder. They will probably hear the whine made by the tapes in a camcorder or even the spin of a DVD or hard drive.
If taking pictures, be as quiet as possible again. Turn autofocus and/or shutter noises off.
They can hear the shutter of an XTi very well, sometimes even if you're inside.
They cannot hear the shutter of a 1D II as well because of it's lower noise. Keep AF beep off again.
They will probably hear the whine made by any optical-based image stabilization.
Excellent, you now have some good pictures or video, but if you haven't already, then what fun stuff could they be doing?
Wiping their nose with their front paws. Girls probably think this is cute.
Squeezing under a gate.
Taking a nap.
Eating.
Spying on someone. I've seen them lie perfectly still and flat, then raise a single ear and tune it into someone talking across the street.
Cleaning themselves. They can stretch their rear legs and groom their own feet without turning around.
"Hmm, that's fun. What other fun things about them do you know, Vascilli?" Well, you'd be surprised..
They hate crows. I saw one being pecked by a gang of them and he got pissed.
Girls are a bit bigger than boys.
They can swim.
When they change colour from white to brown, their stomach and tails stay white. (Hence the name)
They can see behind themselves without turning their heads. Keep this in mind.
Their fur changes colour regardless of the actual landscape, it's a time thing.
Follow these tips and you'll find yourself flat on your stomach in the middle of a park, crawling towards a tiny hare with a huge SLR. Don't mind the weird looks your friends give you.
Some of my work:
This last one was taken with my 1D II and 200mm f/2.8L II. (Total cost used: $1500) The first shot with my new 200mm, I got much better results. I'd credit it to the lower sounding shutter on the 1D II, the lack of IS to make noise, and the silent USM autofocus. I got a dozen shots without any real reaction besides acknowledgment that I was about six feet away.
I hope you learned something, and remember that hares are not scared of you, they just don't like you.
Threaded Mode