 |
| Rabbit droppings |
I
wrote in my first book, The Airgun Hunters Year, that February is the leanest
month of the year for the airgun hunter. This really is the month to take a
good look around any land on which you’re tasked with small vermin control. The
vegetation on banks, ditches and hedgerows has died back to it’s maximum,
exposing rat dens and rabbit warrens. A good time to get familiar with them and
check for signs of occupation. Tracks and droppings will confirm their use,
though the lack of cover all around will make ambushing or shooting a difficult
task.
 |
| Rooks courting |
Corvids
are still gathered in winter flocks during February but now start their pairing
off before spring. Magpie families which have co-mingled during the hard
weather will split out and pairs will set up territories. Carrion crows, who
have congregated to enjoy the warmth and protection of the roost, now resume
their anti-social and parochial behaviour. Once they have paired, it is usually
for life and though the territory they select may change marginally, they will
defend it fiercely from other pairs. Younger rooks can be seen on the fields
engaged in a very peculiar courtship ritual, mock fighting and preening in
large groups. Eventually the dancers, much like teens on a Saturday night in
our cities, will make a match and pair off.
 |
| Snowdrop carpet |
February,
of course, is the month of the snowdrop. One of my shooting permissions has a
huge carpet of these pretty little flowers. Their sweet bulbs are dug up by
squirrels and badgers, while rabbits will nibble the stalks. Many folk see the
snowdrop as the harbinger of Spring but I can’t agree. To me, their blossom
marks the nadir of Mother Natures growing season. The fact that such a tiny
plant can thrive is because there is nothing to smother it on the woodland
floor.
If February is a poor month for the hunter
/ harvester it can still be an interesting month for the wildlife watcher ..
simply because of that lack of cover. Over the past couple of weekends I’ve
enjoyed watching fox, roe deer, muntjac and brown hares.
 |
| Hunting fox |
 |
| Roe deer buck in velvet |
In the air I’ve enjoyed
fieldfares, a little egret, flocks of mixed finches and .. always an awe
inspiring site .. stood watching a barn owl ghosting across the water meadows
in the Wensum Valley hunting for voles. Whenever I witness an owl hunting, my
soul soars with it. For to me the barn owl is the ultimate symbol of patience,
observation, stealth and deadly accuracy. The superior hunter I, personally,
strive to be.
 |
Barn owl hunting meadow
|
No comments:
Post a Comment