For pulling over briefly to watch a Hare?

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

I was heading home on a long drive earlier today and I was on a very long, very straight road and I spotted a Hare loping across the road about 100yds in front of me, when I got to where I’d seen it go, I saw it sat in the field so I pulled up and watched it, and I even took a little video! As I mentioned, the road was very long and straight so I could see a mile in both directions and there was nothing coming whatsoever so I wasn’t inconveniencing any other drivers. All in all I was on the side of the road for no more than a minute before it bounded off and disappeared.

DH rang me a little while later and I excitedly told him about the Hare and that I’d sat and watched it and he made me feel a bit silly for being excited about seeing one. He said they’re ‘not exactly rare’ and that he sees them all the time. The thing is, he used to be a roadworker and now he’s a builder so he’s spent years and countless hours driving endless country roads, so no doubt he has seen loads of Hares over the years. But I’m a SAHM and rarely go out of town. I obviously don’t see Hares on the school run, or in the gym or in town at the shops so it is a rare sighting for me!

Would anyone else have been excited to see a Hare like I was? Here’s a screenshot of the video, sorry it’s so grainy, by the time I’d grabbed my phone it had gotten much further away from me so I had to zoom in!

We call out:
birds of prey
hares and rabbits
deer
foxes
spitfires
biplanes
red arrows
lambs
It is good to enjoy things around you.

A few years ago I was driving down a narrow country lane near my home and came across a hare, sat in the middle of the road. I stopped the car and the hare and I just watched each other for a few minutes, until he got bored and hopped away. It was quite magical, actually. YANBU at all.

I’ve lived in the countryside for about 60% of my life and remember the one time I saw a hare…well, I saw two boxing in a cold morning when I was about 8. Never forgotten it. They are special.

Hares are fabulous! Although we live rural, there aren't many hares around our way (plenty of birds of prey - which could be the problem...)

Love all wildlife - it's great just to stop and watch!

I was late to a teams meeting last month because of a hare! Incredibly lucky that the company office is in a converted barn, set in miles of rolling countryside. One of my colleagues is a hobbyist photographer and takes the most amazing pictures during a lunchtime ramble.

I think your DH is BU, we should always stop and enjoy things that make us smile. Here’s the guy that was outside the office window and made me late, I didn’t even try and make up an excuse, just told the customer the truth when I connected and they were equally happy 😃

If you were safely pulled over, absolutely no issue at all.

I cant stop, but about once a month I see a hare at work. It always makes me smile. They are glorious!

Joyful moments like that are so precious. It lifts the spirit.

I live in a part of England where Red Kites are not yet common, but they are increasing. I have to remind myself it's probably not a good idea to try and watch the rare one I do see overhead while driving...

My most thrilling moment was seeing a couple of waxwings in our back garden once. I'd never seen them before, and thought they looked so exotic that I wondered if they were pets that had escaped! I know better now. They're such beautiful birds.

True they are not rare overall. But neither are they common. There has been a voluntary amnesty on shooting them in many areas. Rabbits yes, hares NO.
I know one place to see them.

Yes it's perfectly OK and lovely to take pleasure in nature around you.

I'd have done the same. In fact I saw a hare just last month early in the morning when we were at a holiday cottage. I woke everyone up to tell them I'd seen one. 😂

I see plenty of rabbits around but I don't think I'd ever seen a hare before.

I've also pulled over to watch two hares boxing in a field up near Ampleforth - a friend and I were going to help out with a bike race and we just pulled over for five mins and watched, absolutely entranced.

Hares are excellent and I would have pulled over too. Sorry your DH pissed on your chips!

It pisses me right off when someone finds joy in something, isn’t harming anyone else with their joy, but someone else feels the need to make them feel stupid for it. And for what it’s worth, I live in inner London so I would be very excited if I saw a hare!

Time spent watching nature is never wasted. I’ve seen some wondrous things over the past year or so ; a lamb being born, a swooping barn owl, seeing and hearing a woodpecker peck at a tree. Does my heart and soul so much good!

Your DH sounds tiresome, joyless and unempathetic. How nice for him that he gets to see them all the time (supposedly) but as a SAHM you don’t have that luxury. I’d do the same OP, you sound a lovely person.

I highly recommend anyone on this thread reads the recent book, ‘Raising Hare’ by Chloe Dalton. It is so beautifully written. Mesmerising.

I hate people who sh*t on things that bring you joy or excitement. I would have liked to see it too

Can’t say I’d get excited about it at all and certainly wouldn’t have stopped, as it’s not something that would interest me, but I wouldn’t have made you feel silly over it at all.

Never seen a hare as far as I recall. I’d have stopped too, I like wildlife.

Brilliant to see and I’d have done exactly the same x

I also got excited seeing a cockchafer (no jokes, please) in our front garden! The time to not get excited about these things is when you're in your coffin.

I would've done the same OP. I was out walking once down a secluded path with big secure fields either side. I saw a young deer come out from the trees and I stood and watched him for a good 10 minutes before he bolted off. I find wildlife so fascinating!

A what? And for the love of god, nobody say “google it”!!

🤣 Unless you're freaked out by beasties, you're quite safe. Cross my heart!