| If
not - it could be due to their decline over the years.
The
Lincolnshire Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) partnership is launching
a survey to find out how much so.
Brown hares were once a common feature of the English lowland landscape
but since the 1960s their population has fallen perhaps by as much
as 75%.
Fortunately
in the open arable fields of Lincolnshire, North and North-East
Lincolnshire, brown hares appear to still be common, though, but
very little is known about their numbers and distribution.
The
Lincolnshire Brown Hare Survey, which runs through March and April,
is one way you can help the LBAP partnership.
Andy
Simpkin, Biodiversity Implementation Manager, said, "It is
very easy to take part in the survey and the more people that record
their sightings the better the results will be. All you need to
do is, using a copy of the survey form, fill in when and where you
see a brown hare."
"We are particularly keen to get people who are regularly in
the countryside such as farmers, ramblers and tourists involved.
But even if you live in a town, you can still take part, you may
just spot a hare from your car."
The
reasons for the decline of the brown hare are unclear but may involve
the increased mechanisation of farming and the change from traditionally
managed mixed farming with smaller fields to more intensive farming
with large fields and blocks of single crops. Increased development,
human settlement and road kills may also have had an impact.
Lincolnshire
and the other Eastern arable counties appear to be a stronghold
for the hare.
This
is why the partnership think it's important to understand and monitor
the hare population and distribution here.
The
decline in numbers of brown hares has been so dramatic that it is
included in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, a document that highlights
what action needs to the taken to ensure the future of rare and
threatened species and habitats.
The
LBAP partnership undertook a similar survey of brown hares in 2001,
but due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease access to the
countryside was restricted and the results were limited.
The
Lincolnshire Brown Hare Survey is taking place in March and April,
as this is the time when brown hares are most active and easiest
to see.
This
is courtship time, when males are fighting one another and chasing
females. Their mad March behaviour or boxing is usually a female
hare attempting to fend off an over enthusiastic male.
To
get your copy of the survey form follow this link
www.lincstrust.org.uk/news/
articles/brown_hare/index.php
Or
send a stamped addressed envelope to:
Brown
Hare Survey
Lincolnshire Biodiversity Action Plan
C/o Lincolnshire Wildlife trust
Banovallum House
Manor House Street
Horncastle
Lincolnshire LN9 5HF
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