Mountain Hare Cull

The Mountain or Blue Hare is an animal from the upland heather moorland and the Scottish
Highlands. Moorland environments provide a perfect habitat with an abundance of short, pioneer heather for feeding, and longer more mature heather for shelter and protection from predators. Highest densities of mountain hares are found on moors managed for grouse where the burning produces different aged stands of heather ideal for both hares and grouse.

The diet of mountain hare is variable depending on the available vegetation. If possible the Hares will feed on grasses during the summer and switch to a heather-dominated diet during winter. Other vegetation that features in their diet are rushes, sedges, blueberry, gorse, the bark and low twigs from trees.

The mountain hare is not a managed game species, but at times large numbers are shot. Lee tells me this cull was needed as the hares were doing so well on the local moors he managers and numbers had swelled in the last two seasons. This amount might seem large until you think of the acreage involved. A mountain Hare can also eat a third in a day of what a moorland sheep can. More from Lee the Game Keeper tomorrow.

Edale To Crowden No.3

In the distance you can see the smoke from 'Burning The heather, burning removes the dead material and recycles the nutrients. This encourages fresh new growth to sprout from existing heather plants. Burning maintains heather moorland and prevents natural succession, which would otherwise result in growth of scrub and birch woodland. The burning cycle creates a pattern of different aged heather. The oldest provides cover for birds like the Red Grouse ( seen below ) and the new shoots provide succulent food for other birds and sheep. A well-burnt moorland will have a mosaic of heather and other moorland plants of differing ages, which will provide food for different wildlife. Heather burning is a very old way of controlling and prolonging the life cycle of the heather.

This is our Skylark..it larger than a sparrow but smaller than a starling. It is streaky brown with a small crest which can be raised when the bird is excited or alarmed It as a white-sided tail and the wings also have a white rear edge which can be seen in flight. It is renowned for its display flight, vertically up in the air. you can normally here the Song but the bird flying high can be hard to spot.

Our native Mountain or Blue hare is smaller than the introduced brown hare, it as a more rounded shape and without a black upper surface on the tail. Mountain hares also have shorter ears and legs than the brown hare. In summer, they have grey/black coats, and in winter they are partly, or completely white as the two above. These moult twice a year - in late autumn, and again in the spring when they lose their winter coat.

The red grouse is a medium-sized game bird. It has a plump body with a short tail and a tiny hook tipped bill. It is reddish-brown, its legs and feet are covered in pale feathers. These birds breed in the moorlands and are resident all year round. The best place to see this bird is on upland heather moors, when it suddenly rockets up from the heather when disturbed to fly off with fast-whirring wingbeats.

Back at Crowden at the end of the walk, and ready for a good drink