What a moon!

[Accuspell]

I decided that I would, despite current events, go and flight the ducks. I have a bit of an old oxbow that the ducks like to use. I leave it and the field it is in quiet for most of the year, the ducks nest in the irises and reeds, as do warblers, buntings and some surprises from time to time. This would be my first visit this year, I haven't fed it at all yet, but I was still confident I would see a few.

Tigs and I skirted the field and then approached the oxbow from one end. Most of it was bone dry, there was thick, glutinous, stinky mud along the edges where the water level has dropped so much and there was some of that bright, green duck weed across a good portion of what water is left. As we approached a pair of mallards flighted in right in front of us, they weren't in the least bit perturbed by our presence, I left them as live decoys and crouched down beside a willow. Within 5 minutes a party of mallards whistled by giving the pond a fly past before circling back. I dropped a brace out of this flight, one fell in the irises the other side and one fell in the water further up. Tigs started swimming off up the pond, but he got the duck and brought it back, then we went in search of the other one. As I rooted about in the foliage near where it was seen to fall, it kicked out into the open water, on it's back and dead as mutton. Tigs retrieved it and we settled back in our hole in the reeds. By now the western sky had turned orange and the moon was just starting to clear the horizon, what a moon! It was the size of a saucer and as I gazed at it a skein of geese, probably canadas, flew past, with one or two silhouetted against the bright orb, they were a long way off, perhaps half a mile or more but they were perfectly visible. It was a memorable sight, worthy of one of Sir Walter Scott's paintings. As the moon rose another party of ducks whistled in, I was a bit slow and the first pair had put their skids down before I switched on. The others circled again and gave me another brace to finish off with, again Tigs retrieved them for me, a Bedlington x whippet lurcher isn't the first dog that springs to mind for gundog duties, but he does perfectly well for my needs. I called it a day at two brace, as we were leaving more were flighting in, so it is looking good for when the frosts arrive. But that moon with the geese against it, that sight shall live long in my memory.

[mel b3]

You just painted a wonderful picture . thankyou 👍.

[holloway]

Memories you don’t need a mobile phone for sounds like a perfect evening.

[Walker570]

What a story.  Had a friend with a lurcher cross and that dog was as good a retriever as any field trial lab.  I am still amazed at the size of the moon as it rises, of coure the magnification is due to the atmosphere but on the right evening with a small amount of silky cloud it is still a sight to see.

[butchdickason]

Superb post, thanks.  Think you meant Peter Scott as the artist.

[oowee]

Cracking post and great write up. 

[Charlie Anderson]

Superb evocative 

[Gerry78]

On 10/09/2022 at 22:23, Accuspell said:

I decided that I would, despite current events, go and flight the ducks. I have a bit of an old oxbow that the ducks like to use. I leave it and the field it is in quiet for most of the year, the ducks nest in the irises and reeds, as do warblers, buntings and some surprises from time to time. This would be my first visit this year, I haven't fed it at all yet, but I was still confident I would see a few.

Tigs and I skirted the field and then approached the oxbow from one end. Most of it was bone dry, there was thick, glutinous, stinky mud along the edges where the water level has dropped so much and there was some of that bright, green duck weed across a good portion of what water is left. As we approached a pair of mallards flighted in right in front of us, they weren't in the least bit perturbed by our presence, I left them as live decoys and crouched down beside a willow. Within 5 minutes a party of mallards whistled by giving the pond a fly past before circling back. I dropped a brace out of this flight, one fell in the irises the other side and one fell in the water further up. Tigs started swimming off up the pond, but he got the duck and brought it back, then we went in search of the other one. As I rooted about in the foliage near where it was seen to fall, it kicked out into the open water, on it's back and dead as mutton. Tigs retrieved it and we settled back in our hole in the reeds. By now the western sky had turned orange and the moon was just starting to clear the horizon, what a moon! It was the size of a saucer and as I gazed at it a skein of geese, probably canadas, flew past, with one or two silhouetted against the bright orb, they were a long way off, perhaps half a mile or more but they were perfectly visible. It was a memorable sight, worthy of one of Sir Walter Scott's paintings. As the moon rose another party of ducks whistled in, I was a bit slow and the first pair had put their skids down before I switched on. The others circled again and gave me another brace to finish off with, again Tigs retrieved them for me, a Bedlington x whippet lurcher isn't the first dog that springs to mind for gundog duties, but he does perfectly well for my needs. I called it a day at two brace, as we were leaving more were flighting in, so it is looking good for when the frosts arrive. But that moon with the geese against it, that sight shall live long in my memory.

I’ve said it before only hunting ducks gives you these sights&sounds Fantastic write up 👍👍👍👍🦆🦆🦆

[Accuspell]

On 11/09/2022 at 14:50, butchdickason said:

Superb post, thanks.  Think you meant Peter Scott as the artist.

You are, of course, perfectly correct!  My mistake, thank you for putting it right.