Mountain Hare - Lepus timidus
Canon 300mm f7.1 for 1/1000th @ iso2000
Blizzard conditions arrived literally out of the "blue" - as in one minute the sky was blue the hillside a rich deep auburn colour the heather bathed in morning light. A huge bank of cloud appeared above the hillside and preceding the cloud and blowing in the wind the first few snow flakes began to fall - then there was what can only be described as a white out happened - in the space of seconds the temperate plummeted and the hillsides turned white - the snow fell so quickly the hare who had been doing what Mountain Hares do best - sitting - that sitting interspersed with feeding - just disappeared from view. The end of my 300 lens froze over as the snow found its way into the lens hood coating half of the lens in a mixture of ice and blown snow, successive attempts to clean it up just left huge smear marks across the end of the lens, which despite vigorous cleaning only got worse with the wet snow spreading across the whole surface of the lens.
Whilst it is always good to get photographs of Mountain Hare and indeed other wildlife in snow especially combined with some good light and pristine snow - this photo shows the reality for these animals and both how hardy and adapted to the mountains they are.
If you think the hare looks "rough" spare a thought for David and I !!!
The Mountain Hare may well be adapted to the cold and harsh weather conditions that occur in the mountains, but like the rest of us the Hares are not immune to the midges which come out in their "millions" during the summer months !! Between bouts of resting up and feeding they spend a good deal of time itching.
If you know where to look, the summer months give you a good chance of seeing the Mountain Hare leverets.
The leverets tend to be found on the higher slopes and are often tucked away in the heather and ferns of the hillsides sharing their "high altitude homes" with Red Grouse.
Blizzard conditions arrived literally out of the "blue" - as in one minute the sky was blue the hillside a rich deep auburn colour the heather bathed in morning light. A huge bank of cloud appeared above the hillside and preceding the cloud and blowing in the wind the first few snow flakes began to fall - then there was what can only be described as a white out happened - in the space of seconds the temperate plummeted and the hillsides turned white - the snow fell so quickly the hare who had been doing what Mountain Hares do best - sitting - that sitting interspersed with feeding - just disappeared from view. The end of my 300 lens froze over as the snow found its way into the lens hood coating half of the lens in a mixture of ice and blown snow, successive attempts to clean it up just left huge smear marks across the end of the lens, which despite vigorous cleaning only got worse with the wet snow spreading across the whole surface of the lens.
Whilst it is always good to get photographs of Mountain Hare and indeed other wildlife in snow especially combined with some good light and pristine snow - this photo shows the reality for these animals and both how hardy and adapted to the mountains they are.
If you think the hare looks "rough" spare a thought for David and I !!!
The Mountain Hare may well be adapted to the cold and harsh weather conditions that occur in the mountains, but like the rest of us the Hares are not immune to the midges which come out in their "millions" during the summer months !! Between bouts of resting up and feeding they spend a good deal of time itching.
If you know where to look, the summer months give you a good chance of seeing the Mountain Hare leverets.
The leverets tend to be found on the higher slopes and are often tucked away in the heather and ferns of the hillsides sharing their "high altitude homes" with Red Grouse.