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Autumn Greylags
From what I can gather, the first of the pink feet are arriving on the Solway even as I type, but it’ll still be a few weeks before they fall into a routine that is predictable enough to allow for a shot. In the meantime, I have to make do with the occassional and enfuriating… Continue reading
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Mixed Messages
Blackcock are contrary birds. Setting a trap for a stoat this morning, I was treated to a display of overbearing insolence by a lekking blackcock that was so outrageous that I laughed aloud. He stamped around within thirty yards of me, glaring and sneezing as if he was challenging me to mortal combat. Finding the… Continue reading
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Folded Ears
I don’t plan to turn this blog into a sinister gallery of deformed rabbits, but having posted about a Three Legged Rabbit that I caught with my ferrets in January, it would be odd if I didn’t mention the unusually arranged pair of ears which I came across this evening. With the exception of myxomatosis,… Continue reading
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Seas of Rushes
Having followed the black grouse’s progress in real depth over the past few days, I’ve had a good opportunity to see what they like and what they don’t like in their surroundings. Short grass is perfect for lekking, foraging and catching the sun, but it leaves you exposed and feeling vulnerable to birds of prey.… Continue reading
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September Lekking
Black grouse at lek is one of the most fantastic sights in the British countryside, but although the behaviour reaches a peak of enthusiasm in March and April, birds can be found spreading their tails at almost any point during the year. With the exception of a few weeks in July when their crucial tail… Continue reading
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Greyhens of Britain
Having been up and down the country looking at black grouse over the past two years, I’ve seen a huge number of birds. Thanks to the fact that I’ve got a camera with a long zoom lens, I’ve been able to take dozens of photographs which have helped me with sketches and paintings, but they… Continue reading
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Black on the Right Track
Having exposed my favourite black grouse a fortnight ago during the shameful scruffiness of his moult, it’s worth mentioning that he is quickly returning to his smart and overbearing self. Driving off the hill this morning, I spotted the old familiar figure sitting on a dyke. Even from two hundred yards away, it was clear… Continue reading
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Mega-Boots
Having come into some money recently, it was obvious that the time had come to update my footwear. The past three years on the hill have seen five pairs of Hood Bullseye wellies through their lives from box fresh to leaking ruin. It is a two mile circuit around the bottom hill, and I have… Continue reading
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Stoat Gun
Now that the pheasants are out, I need to be constantly vigilant. My pen is far from being fox proof, so a scattering of snares and traps add some weight to the defences. I have been meaning to get hold of a vermin gun for some time, if only to save my smart game guns… Continue reading
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Releasing Pheasants
The past two or three days have been very busy since the pheasants have arrived. A single crate containing fifteen birds went up on Thursday morning, and I’ve been back and forth trying to keep an eye on them ever since. The continuous wild weather is making the whole project a pretty bleak affair, but… Continue reading
About
“Shout on, Morgan. You’ll be nothing tomorrow”
Swn y galon fach yn torri, 1952
Also at: https://andtheyellowale.substack.com
Bog Myrtle & Peat 