The Blue or Mountain Hare is a charming inhabitant of high hills in Northern Britain. Its main distinguishing feature is a habit of sprouting a whitish coat in the Wintertime to decrease its visibility in snow drifts. For the warmer months of the year it looks much like any other hare.¹ Once the nights start to draw in, something strange happens to its metabolism that changes the style of its fur coat. The tips of the ears remain black but everything else becomes a fetching shade of grey or snow-white.

Here in Britain they are most at home in the Scottish hills but can also be found in the Peak District moors of Northern Derbyshire. They were introduced many years ago to enhance the hunting experience for the local gentry, bored of shooting at grouse. The hares found the habitat so comfortable, they bred like - erm - rabbits and founded a thriving population. By a happy coincidence, management of the moors for grouse-hunting benefits the hares too. Regular heather burns ensure there are plenty of tender young shoots to nibble and the gamekeepers helpfully keep potential predators under control.

Unfortunately the Derbyshire hills are covered in snow for only a few days each Winter. On snowless slopes, the camouflage is useless and conspicuous white hares can easily be spotted grazing on the moorland scrub. A good time to look for them is in early Spring when the snow has melted but the days haven't lengthened sufficiently to trigger the hares' reversion to plain brown hairs. The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust organises annual Mountain Hare walks to monitor the population and is happy to report a healthy number of creatures still in residence. Long may it remain so.