Here’s how to spot the iconic brown hare in Sussex this Easter

As spring brings the Sussex countryside back to life, many animals are becoming more active and visible on our landscape.

Among these is the brown hare, a creature that has long been associated with the Easter period, but can be somewhat difficult for wildlife lovers to see.

Charlotte Owen, WildCall Officer with Sussex Wildlife Trust, shared some tips for spotting them with the Mid Sussex Times.

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“Hares have declined quite drastically,” said Charlotte, explaining that they now have a ‘patchy’ distribution in Sussex.

“We don’t have any specific locations but if you head up onto the South Downs and follow the South Downs Way you’re going to encounter a lot of hare habitats,” she said.

Hares are particularly active around dusk and dawn, said Charlotte, and they like arable fields with hedgerows, mixed grasslands and places with a woodland edge. These days they are most often seen in farmlands where there are crops they can feed on.

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Hares do not hibernate or put on a lot of fat for winter either, she said, so they will be near a constant supply of food.

Charlotte said that brown hares’ breeding season has now ‘ramped up’, so they will be out in the open more and quite exposed thanks to low down vegetation.

The popular phrase, of course, is ‘Mad as a March hare’ but Charlotte said people will be able to see erratic behaviour in April as well.

Spring is the best time to catch hares ‘boxing’, she said, adding that people used to think these punch-ups were displays of strength between males.

“But the boxing is actually a female batting away a male that she’s not interested in,” said Charlotte.

When a female hare comes into season and is ready to breed she releases a potent pheromone that attracts all the local males.

“When there’s a group of hares, it’s usually one female and a group of potential suitors,” said Charlotte, identifying two main types of ‘mad March’ behaviour.

“The first is really fast and erratic running,” she said. “They’re really good at zig-zagging and their speeds are up to 40mph.”

This is a test of endurance and is an attempt by a female leading the run to find the best mate.

If she is not impressed or not ready to mate, then the boxing will begin, said Charlotte.

Both the female and male will rear up on their hind legs and strike each other with their front legs. This does not cause serious injury but is a kind of warning.

“As you can imagine with all of those pheromones flying around it’s quite a heated time,” said Charlotte, adding that males might chase each other too to see off competitors.

As for telling the difference between hares and rabbits, Charlotte said hares are much bigger and can be twice the size. They also have much longer legs and a loping gait, and they have long ears with black tips.

They have distinctive golden eyes too if you can get close enough to see them. But this will be unlikely, said Charlotte, who recommends people use binoculars.

Staying downwind and maintaining a respectful distance is also advisable.

“Hares do not dig burrows but shelter in ‘forms’, which are shallow scrapes in the ground,” said Charlotte.

They crouch down and stay stock still to avoid being seen but they will bolt if you get too close.

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