The Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey
Introduction
Do you spend time in the Scottish uplands? Can you help with a new project monitoring mountain hares?
It is easy to participate. Either you can use your smartphone to record your sightings using the free Mammal Mapper app or you can record information on a paper recording form if you prefer.
By contributing to an improved understanding of abundance and distribution you’ll be helping to inform management and conservation strategies for this charismatic species.
Why mountain hares?
The mountain hare, Lepus timidus, is Britain's only native member of the hare and rabbit family. Within Britain, its native range is restricted to the Scottish uplands, though small populations are found elsewhere.
The species faces a number of threats including reduced habitat due to changes in land use, the effects of climate change and competition for resources with brown hares (Lepus europaeus). So since 1st March 2021 they have had full legal protection in Scotland, reflecting concerns over their conservation status and the species’ Near Threatened status in the Mammal Society’s IUCN-compliant Red List (2020).
Since 2020, NatureScot, the Mammal Society, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust have been collaborating on a project aiming to collect this vital information, but we need your help! We are asking you to help us to record mountain hares so that we can improve our understanding of this species.
You can turn any walk in Scotland into a Rambling Survey of mountain hares using the Mammal Mapper app or by filling in one of the paper Rambling Survey Recording Sheets that can be downloaded from the Mountain Hare Square Surveys page on the BTO website. While walking, just look out for and record any mountain hares that you come across. Because we also urgently need more information on many other upland species, you can also use the app or the form to record other mammals and birds during your survey. Instructions on how to use the app are available. View the Volunteer Mountain Hare Project online training video and guidance. In 2024, in order to encourage more recreational hill walkers to participate, we’re introducing a much reduced recording form that only requires minimal information and is therefore quicker to complete.
If you would be willing to contribute further, please consider carrying out mountain hare Square Surveys. These also have the option of either using the Mammal Mapper app or a paper recording form, but rather than recording wildlife for the duration of your upland walk, you'll carry out focused surveys in specific 1 km squares. For more information, and to sign up, please visit the Mountain Hare Square Surveys page on the BTO website.
Compared to other areas of Britain, less is known about the wildlife of Scotland’s Highlands because this area is more remote. This is why, whether a hillwalker, experienced naturalist, or someone with a more general interest in wildlife, your help with recording mountain hares and upland birds is so vital.
To find out more about the partners and their involvement in the project, click on the names below:
Find out more
- Information on Hares and Rabbits
- Read about hares and licensing
- Hares as protected species
- Read out latest press release
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