‘What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?’ So begins the poem Leisure by W H Davies, something I always keep in mind, especially when life gets a little ‘full.’

I’d been doing just that - standing and staring - while in the North America zone at Markshall Estate, something I do on a regular basis. As I did so, from the corner of my eye I noticed this European hare (Lepus europaeus) apparently doing just the same. I suspect though, it was keeping a careful eye on me; fast though they are (they can sprint at around 40mph), they tend to be very timid creatures.

With apologies to William Henry Davies: A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to observe the hare.