THE HARES OF HAVERGATE ISLAND

   Last month I had the opportunity to go on a trip over to Havergate Island to photograph the Hares that are resident on this small island. Visits to this RSPB reserve are strictly limited to about one a month except during the bird breeding season when all visits are banned to provide a peaceful nesting environment. We arrived at Orford quay in darkness and loaded our gear onto the boat as the dawn was breaking in the east. A 25 minute trip followed before we embarked onto the island and trudged the kilometer or so to the huts where the Hares tend to frequent. This area is a mixture of shingle patches and vegetation dominated by gorse and grass that the Hares seem to love.

   The Hares on the island have no natural predators and have very limited fear of humans and indeed as our leader said at the start of the day by the time we were due to to finish the animals would take practically no notice of us at all. The day was breezy which wasn't good news for us as Hares are not keen on the wind which meant that the animals we came across were often crouched down in the undergrowth and not showing well to photograph but as the day progressed they became more active and much easier to see.

   As the afternoon went on they emerged to feed on grasses and seeds and gave great views to all of us with cameras which was nice to see as it had been feared a year or so ago that they might have all perished in the devastating tidal surge floods that virtually completely submerged the island at one point. The time came for us to leave and catch the boat back as the light began to fail but the Hares being mainly nocturnal feeders were getting ready to start their day. This island is a wonderful, peaceful, if slightly barren reserve where you can easily imagine that you are much further away from civilization than the 25 minute boat trip would suggest but being so close to the Hares makes it a fantastic experience that I would love to repeat soon.