Shooting Times & Country Magazine
First pinkfeet and wigeon migrants spotted over UK
Wildfowlers report the arrival of large skeins over the Western Isles as the sport prepares for the possibility of fresh bird flu outbreaks
Large skeins of pinkfooted geese have started to arrive as autumn begins, although both the birds and the fowlers that pursue them have an uncertain season ahead of them.
Wildfowlers and birdwatchers in Scotland’s north-west are reporting the arrival of the first major skeins of Icelandic pinkfooted geese. Small numbers of pinkfeet have been noted in north-eastern Scotland since the middle of summer.
However, the first big arrivals of the birds have now definitely begun, with large skeins observed coming in from the Atlantic
Ocean and crossing the islands of Barra and South Uist. Visiting wildfowlers, who were shooting the islands’ huge resident greylag population, contacted Shooting Times to say they had spotted the skeins passing over and heard the distinctive wink-wink call of pinkfeet. Within days, reports were coming in of the birds reaching as far south as the Humber Estuary and even down to Norfolk.
Large flocks of wigeon have also been reported as coming inland from the north and west, suggesting they are taking to the wing as the weather turns colder.
A recent scientific study found that the harvesting of Icelandic pink-footed geese by British fowlers was sustainable. However, the birds and the wildfowling season face a challenge from bird flu.
The disease is introduced by birds migrating from the east and last winter it hit the Svalbard barnacle goose population that winters on the Solway Coast extremely hard, possibly reducing its numbers by up to one third. Geese and ducks are particularly vulnerable to bird flu and a large-scale outbreak among the quarry goose species is a real threat.
“We know this winter could see a repeat or something worse”
Biosecurity
Wildfowler John Tote, who shoots on the Solway, said: “Last season’s outbreak gave us all an idea of how serious an outbreak can be and also prepared us in terms of biosecurity and protecting ourselves from the disease. We all know that this winter could see a repeat or could see something much worse.”
Matt Cross
Researchers from the International Snipe Hunters Club are eagerly awaiting the reappearance of a recordbreaking common snipe after a satellite tag fitted to the bird told an extraordinary tale of its eastward migration.
The bird wintered in the Camargue in southern France and then, in mid-april this year, it headed east. It crossed central Europe and rested briefly in Hungary before flying high over the war-torn Donbas region of Ukraine and into Russia.
The bird was one of 165 snipe tagged by the French Office for Biodiversity and the International Snipe Hunters Club.
Nearly all of these birds stopped west of the Ural Mountains, spending the winter in either European Russia or Fennoscandia. However, this remarkable bird pushed on, flying clear across the mountains and well into Arctic Siberia, arriving at its breeding grounds on 28 May.
Its spring migration, which took 40 days, spanned more than 6,000 km — by far the longest snipe migration ever recorded.
The bird’s tag is currently in a low-power mode, but researchers expect to see it begin its westward journey any day now.
The season for one of the UK’S least-known fieldsports is reaching its climax. Hound trailing is the sport of racing hounds across the fells of Cumbria and the last races of the season take place in October. Country shows across the county feature races and the title is still very much to be won or lost.
Search out deer wallows and rutting stands. The unmistakable waft of a deer wallow often gives them away. Use your nose to track them down. During the rut, they will be hotspots for locating the larger stags. The distinctive circles round trees of a fallow buck rutting stand are also easy to spot and also a good place to look for deer.