Hare numbers

Patrick Stirling-Aird (Letters, 28 March) has got very hot under the collar referring to the “mass slaughter” of mountain hares and he should be careful not to over-egg his pudding.

I am not sure whether he has been out himself on the hills these past few months or indeed if his raptor group have observed what was around them on the ground rather than in the sky.

If they had been up the hills of the Sma’ Glen with me in March they would have seen in excess of 20 hares on one hill on my first trip and at least five more on another hill plus a red kite nearby on my second visit.

I would also argue that there are many more hares surviving on the grouse moors than 
there are around the concrete pads of the wind farms where I have yet to see any eagles or hares.

Alan Black

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh