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| Brown Hares and Corn Buntings |
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Page 2 of 5 I remember seeing Corn Buntings in the far west of Cornwall in the 1980s. They had already declined then, but small populations could still be found near Land’s End and on the Lizard. Today they are gone, along with winter stubble fields and farmyards strewn with spilt grain. They were more common and widespread in the 1950-70s, and even more so here in north Cornwall where their stronghold always was. To me they represent the countryside as it once was, and I found both pleasure and nostalgia in hearing them again. There was yet another surprise. Casting my eye over a ploughed field, my eye kept returning to an irregularity among the clods of earth, a small, protruding point, clearly neither stone nor stalk. It puzzled me. Staring at it, I detected a flicking movement: whatever it was, it was alive and kicking, and possibly interesting too, therefore it needed investigating. Patience and time to ‘stand and stare’ is often when the naturalist reaps his (or her) finest rewards. Little by little it became apparent that this was the point of an ear, belonging to a fairly large animal that lay between the lumps of earth. After a wait of 20 minutes or so, and much staring through a telescope, a furry head rose slowly upwards, revealing two long black-tipped ears laid well back. The mystery animal was a Brown Hare, lying in a form which it had dug for itself for shelter and protection from predators. It had been completely hidden except for that ear, the long brown body flattened to the ground with its neck tucked well into its shoulders. As hares are mainly nocturnal, it was probably resting in the shallow depression. Hare’s eyes are placed on the side of the head to give a good all round vision that is essential for detecting predators in an open landscape. It was a long wait for the animal to fully reveal itself. Unlike rabbits, hares live completely above ground but, as they feed mostly at night, there was no reason why it should have moved unless disturbed. Hares are more common in some parts of Cornwall, but in the far west where I live they disappeared at about the same time as the Corn Buntings. That it was a coincidence seems unlikely, since they each held on longest in precisely the same localities. Another question is – are Cornish Brown Hares relics of a native population, or are they reintroductions, brought in from other parts of Britain for coursing, or for sentimental reasons? In fact, some experts believe that all British Brown Hares originate from a Roman introduction, as there are no documented records before then. |
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