Well, on 1 March, what other animal could I possibly cover than the Mad March Hare? The brown hare that is. There is a second species that lives in Britain, the mountain or 'blue' hare. But as the name suggests, that lives in rather higher places, such as mountain ranges in Scotland.
But why do we say hares are mad in March?
Well, at this time of the year the males go a-courting. Trying to find a receptive female with which to mate and produce offspring. But, often the females aren't always all that receptive. So along comes Mr Hare, trying to woo Ms Hare by getting as close as possible to her. No respecter of personal space. hat does Ms Hare do? Gives him a clout on the nose for being too forward. So hares 'boxing' is actually the females beating up pushy males. Which they can do quite easily, as they are rather larger.
To tell the truth, hares box all the way from February to September, they have a long breeding season. But at this time plants are only just starting to grow again after winter, so the fields are quite bare and it is much easier to see them.
Hares being easier to see now is also the origin for the Easter Bunny. Because they are more visible now, they were the sacred animal of the goddess Eostre, whose spring festival was merged with a Christian rite to make Easter. Part of the carry-over was the hare (though it underwent a slight identity change into a rabbit) and became the Easter Bunny.
If you want to see hares around Top Lodge, check out the fields just down the hill from the centre. Look for a long-legged 'rabbit', without the white flashing tail. Also, hares do not use burrows, so if it disappears underground you know it isn't one. Hares are also rather much larger, big females can be nearly 2 feet in length. And if you do see one, be very happy. Brown hares have been declining badly over the last 100 years, having lost 80% of their numbers.
