Unlike the adult Mountain Hare, the leveret will use a burrow to shelter from cold weather but also to take cover if it feels under threat.

For this image I sat with this leveret for some time, edging closer and closer over an extended period ensuring that it was comfortable with me. Out of nowhere a red grouse decided to fly next to the burrow and made his presence known with its loud croaking call – this startled this little chap but after about 15 minutes it decided to tentatively venture back out to check if its noisy neighbour had moved on. By this time it was completely comfortable with me and did not see me as a threat.