I’ve been studying hares on the Yorkshire Wolds for years and I saw something near my studio that I’ve never seen before. A baby hare, known as a leveret, had just been born in my back garden.
Hares - Lepus Europeas
In the US, Hares are the same species as Jackrabbits. The latin name for this one is Lepus europaeus. I was just walking along this path in the wood and just here I saw a female hare lolloping away and I looked down to see where she has come from and there were two little, tiny baby leverets here. Leveret is the name for a baby hare. They were some of the youngest leverets that I had ever seen. Only a day or so old. Female hares leave their young during the daytime to go foraging, and only return briefly to feed them at night. So, I wasted no time and set up cameras straight away to reveal the secret world of the hare.
Hares feed their young once a day, at night
As dusk falls, the leverets creep out of the undergrowth. The mother arrives at the front gate, then scampers up towards the woodland…and my hidden cameras capture every moment. She gives them a quick clean and then tries to cover them up as best she can, before leaving them. I am keeping a close eye on them, and one night I realise that one of the young leverets is missing. Usually, the mother stays only long enough to feed the babies, but this night she searches for nearly an hour. But there is no sign... it’s gone. Now only one remains.
One remains and grows fast
But the lone leveret does well. It is a stunning little thing, I’m amazed how much it’s grown in a week as well and this is its defence against predators, just laying here all day, still, quiet, not moving. Over the next few weeks, I continue filming the mother and her lone baby. The young leveret is brave enough now to leave the woodland…. Leveret needs to be aware of predators But it can be dangerous out here, as weasels, stoats, badgers, owls, and cats are its enemies. One day we see the leveret being chased by a stoat. They twist and tumble and the little leveret manages to fight free. Thankfully, the mother arrives just in time to chase the stoat off. There are more dangers after dark. A tawny owl also spies the young leveret roaming around and makes a grab for it. Luckily, mum comes to the rescue again.
Becoming more confident
Soon, the confident little leveret now explores the whole garden and meets its hare mum for a feed in my car park at night. The leveret uses the cars as shelter and it’s hiding under the car just next to the wheel. The female hare has just come in and she’s greeting the leveret and starting to feed it right in front of me this in incredible, I’ve waited years to see this! Finally, I have got intimate shots of a hare feeding a leveret right out in the open its absolutely magical to see. In around six months this leveret will be fully grown, and ready to start its own family, hopefully right here in my back garden on the Yorkshire Wolds
