Olli Veijola of Oulu was on a recent ski holiday in Ylläsjärvi, Finnish Lapland, when he spied an eager visitor to the cottage’s birdfeeder.
The mountain hare's scientific name is Lepus timidus, but this one was far from timid.
“There are usually squirrels and Siberian jays at the feeder, but when I was on the sofa looking out the window, I noticed a snow-white mountain hare approaching it,” Veijola told Yle Oulu.
“The hare stood up on its hind legs and began helping itself to the nuts. This went on for about 10 minutes before it had apparently filled its tummy,” he recalls with a chuckle. The hare was allowed to luncheon in peace as birds stayed away from the feeder.
70-80 cm of crispy snow
“When I set up the feeder last autumn, it didn’t cross my mind that it would be low enough for a hare,” he adds. But plenty of snow with a hard crust made it an easy target.
“The snow is 70-80 centimetres deep so the hare was able to dine quite comfortably when it stretched out,” says Veijola. An adult hare can be 60 centimetres long and weigh nearly six kilos. Its large rear paws work like snowshoes. In winter, the hare turns white – except for the tips of its ears.
Veijola notes that there haven’t been many feeders in the yard lately. The jays seem to prefer to hang out around the lean-tos and shelters along the local cross-country ski trails, he says. There the pickings are good thanks to ski tourists, who leave – or even offer – them bread and sausages.
Ylläsjärvi is a village in the municipality of Kolari, amid the fells of Finnish Lapland. The 718-metreYllästunturi fell boasts one of the country’s biggest ski resorts.
Veijola says the hare is welcome at his feeder anytime, pointing out that there is plenty of time before hunting season begins on 1 September.
