Young country diary: Staring into the big eyes of a brown hare | Wildlife

Each time I see a brown hare, I’m usually in a car and worried it’ll get knocked down, but recently I almost stood on one.

I was walking through the grass in my wellies one morning when I saw a pair of big, brown eyes peering up at me. The body didn’t move, and I’ve since found out that hares freeze when they sense danger. Its ears were long, velvety, folded straight down behind its head, reaching its bony shoulders.

I couldn’t see its legs but I knew they were strong and long … Suddenly it bolted, showing me just how fast its legs could go. I tried to chase it but couldn’t keep up, not in wellies. They can reach up to 45 miles per hour.

The long grass parted ahead of me as her body rocked like my old hobby horse, zig-zagging through the meadow. I wish I could have touched him or her. I bet its fur would be warm and silky against my hand.

It ended up on the hill, its rounded back black against the sun and those ears, alert now, pointing like fingers to the sky. I think she was a doe (a female) as they are bigger than the bucks (the males) and sometimes punch them when they’re angry, especially in breeding season from spring until summer. Yes, I think she’s definitely a female and my new best friend.
Issy, 11