Mountain Hares

My first trip this Autumn/Winter, up onto the Dark Peak moorlands of Derbyshire to look for and photograph the Mountain Hare.

Smaller than the Brown Hare but just as fast and agile the Mountain Hare at this time of year goes through a moult into it's Winter white coat, this can start in October and usually by December they have turned all white, they go back to their Summer coat starting in late February early March.

Having travelled through thick fog it was a relief when travelling up to the tops the weather was bright and clear, parked up nice and early, now comes the bit I don't like; the hike up to where the Hares are to be found, especially when you are carrying a 600mm lens.

Although the Hares are now well into there moult they can still be tricky to spot, and after putting several up from under my feet I started to get my eyes in.

Some of the Hares will stay put and hunker down whilst others will get up and go, only stopping metres away to give you a cautionary glance back before shooting out of sight, and there are more of these than the ones that do stay put, no matter what you do!!

Frustrating at times but when things come together it can be well worth the wait, oh yes, forgot to mention the crawl through all the wet grass, peak bogs and everything else!!

They can stick out at a distance.

They also can be tricky to spot when hunkered down

But with a little patience you can get closer.

You may come across one in the open and given time and a lot of crawling you can get decent shots

With more patience and time! 

And finally

All taken with a 600mm lens and the new Canon 7D MK. 2

Thanks for looking 

Reed Bed Hide Rental

ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY?

If so you may be interested in two new hides that D.C.C. Countryside Service have to offer..

The Rangers at Clay Cross Countryside Centre have been building these hides and modifying them over a period of several months.and now they are ready for use. 

Does not matter if you are professional or a keen amateur these hides offer a great opportunity to get close at water level to things like Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Water Rail and much more.

First hide is over looking a scrape area that can hold Grey Heron, Teal, Gadwall, Lapwing and much more.

Second hide is specifically for Common and Jack Snipe and Water Rail, other birds such as Kingfisher have been known to visit this site as well.

You will have to be physically fit to be able to walk through a reed bed and to stay in a lying position for your time in the hide, although there is enough room to kneel and sit up.

You are going to have to believe me for now because with other things I have not managed to get in myself and do any photography; I shall however be hoping to get in very soon and will be posting some pictures. I could have put some up from a couple of years back but I thought that not to be right, never the less I have viewed birds in front of both hides, with some only 4ft away!!

If you are interested then you need to call 01629 533020 where you will be given further details and any relevant information, you may even get put through to me for any specialist advice.

Thanks for looking in