If you suspect people are using our countryside for illegal hare coursing, make sure they are reported to police.
THE first time I saw real ‘Mad March hares’ was on a sunny spring day walking through the hillsides and meadows above Hedgerley in South Buckinghamshire. There he was, appearing to be putting on a show for us humans passing by, a frenetic mix of crazed break-dancing and gymnastics with some aerobatic showstoppers. Definitely as mad as they come, but more than entertaining enough to entrance us all as he zigzagged across the daisies before coming to an abrupt halt.
And then up popped another one at his side, apparently just as mad, but this time the angry version, rather than simply crazy. For the second hare seemed to take umbrage at the original show off’s efforts and promptly ‘biffed’ him on the nose. Ding! Ding! Round Two, waving paws engaged, a high-speed stand up fist fight which I took to be two young male yobbo hares battling over territory… until one of our party pointed out that the newcomer was actually a female dealing with the unwelcome attentions of an amorous suitor. Well, we’ve all done it, but not usually with kicks and head-butting thrown in with kung fu style high speed punch combinations.
Even when you know what’s going on, hares still have that magical appeal, the stuff of myths and ancient superstition, although they only arrived on these islands with the Romans. Indeed, there’s a legend that Boudica ‘consulted’ the entrails of a hare to look for omens before taking on the might of the invaders.
Then there’s that ‘Mad March’ tag. The truth is that the male-female boxing matches can go on for months from February right through to August, by which time everyone seems to have called it a draw, paired off and got down to producing some leverets, the baby hares.
Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Buckinghamshire Life.
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Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av Buckinghamshire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Now Domestic Goddess Mary Shares Secrets
Karen comes clean: she’s never sure whether it’s a job for disinfectant or bleach… but knows lemons go in gin and tonic.
Let Battle Commence
If you suspect people are using our countryside for illegal hare coursing, make sure they are reported to police.
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Yes or no, we’ll begin… with the tale of a chair which relies on the skills of people across our counties including Wycombe furniture experts.
Christmas In...Newbury
Lanterns, late night shopping and tracking down the reindeer: it’s all happening in the West Berkshire destination for seasonal days out.
Take a Staycation in Our Beautiful Counties
Days out and breaks along The Ridgeway or beside our rivers and canals support rural tourism – and, best of all, it’s on our doorsteps
Shall We Dance?
It’s never too late to learn, as NICOLA SWANBOROUGH discovered when she joined one of NOCTURN’s adult contemporary dance classes for beginners
The Botanist, Marlow
Prepare for hidden treasures and that a gorgeous décor is somehow outshone by dishes arriving at the table,
When Your Name's in the Frame
‘What do you know about a man called Scaramanga, 007?’ M asks James Bond. We know perhaps a little more, courtesy of Sunningdale School
Chiltern Rollercoaster
Follow Steve Davison as he heads to Stokenchurch for a longer walk – with shorter option – through some picturesque rolling Chiltern countryside.
The Winning Wedding Formula
Berkshire and Buckinghamshire couples are invited to attend the 2018 edition of Bride: The Wedding Show at Ascot Racecourse from March 10-11.