LOL 212 Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 My Irish woodcock 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lutra Lutra 611 Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 (edited) Hello to all readers, unfortunately no sleep again and I am going back to my nocturnal ways like in former years.Sometimes it can be a strange experience when everyone else seems to be sleeping. Sometimes the distraction of a ticking clock can interrupt a person's thoughts.That's when one starts to thing about memories gone by. My usual ramblings regarding that somewhat elusive, mystery and enigmatic bird the (Woodcock).How I Iove those birds"! They never cease to amaze myself with their cryptic colouring just like the Nightjar employs also. Regarding shooting. To be honest I have only ever shot just a few; for sure you could count them on one hand. Whether it was some luck that followed myself on those occasions, I will never know. Of course someone who is a good shot could have told myself their thoughts on such happenings."One will never know for sure"! I do know one thing for sure. That is I will see them Roding pretty soon, about the month of March, that's usually the time I venture out in search of these beautiful little fellows. Some years back, together with my brother we would go and do a little rough-shooting.We would walk from a friends house before the countryside in a part of Nottinghamshire was cut to pieces: just to make a new road. You could walk and shoot your way there and shoot your way back.(Wonderful times in one's life)! Our friend was a guy called Stephen Tucker who lived in the village at Blidworth. The place Blidworth was made famous by some of our local legends Robin Hood and his merry men.Our friend had always kept dogs , mainly Lurchers but he followed our train of thought regarding working terriers.Unfortunately Tucker had an accident at the pit at Blidworth. Some kind of machinery nearly killed him and the result left him deaf in one ear and blind in one eye. However, those particular disabilities never once affected his shooting. "He was one of the best I've ever seen", but I am not an expert on shotguns. But I have been and travelled far and wide to realise and know when someone is good with a gun.He shot many Woodcock and was a past master at Snipe. All the Waders I am fascinated by their behaviour and difficulty in identification.Another family of birds that spring to mind regarding identification are the Gull family.(Not easy) no matter what the so - called experts say. Over in these parts we used to have a sizeable population of Golden Plover that over-wintered in the lowlands on arable ground. They would come from the peak- district in Derbyshire. Once again I have totally digressed from Woodcock to other birds. I'd just like to say again how much I love the Woodcock and I plan to try and locate some nests this breeding season.We get a lot coming in from Scandinavian countries and also the far extremes of Russia. If I am correct the birds from Scandinavian countries and Russia are somewhat greyer in colour,regarding size I'm not too sure whether they are larger or smaller than our natives. "I will have to ask certain friends on that issue. Regarding our friend Tucker who I mentioned above I would like to describe him as something of a legend. However, that particular word is often too loosely described so of course one has to tread careful with one's statements. Nevertheless, he was very much different to (Joe Bloggs) in the street. He was renowned for certain things and the strength of a Bull.He never knew when he was beat, some people say he could be arrogant but usually people who are good at a certain subjects usually are. So when another friend came to deliver the sad news that (Tucker) had drowned in a boating accident in Zambia, it hit my brother and myself very hard indeed.That day in question he decided to ignore the locals to put on a life jacket due to the water's getting rather choppy. The boat capsized, one friend made it back to safety by a miracle. Tucker died.On that dreadful day there were 2 English marines on holiday, they tried everything possible to save him."That day some people would say that (God) wasn't on his side. It has been a few years since his passing, but the wounds are still raw; but I have the fond memories of yesteryear firmly etched within my memory. Always when I walk those woods of Harlow and Thieves I glance over at the place of his burial, his place of 10 acres of land of which he owned, and who knows for those people that do believe in Ghosts, one day I just might meet up with him again. God Bless you and your home..... Lutra... Edited February 15, 2016 by Lutra Lutra 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waz 4,261 Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 Well, not seen any woodcock this season until today while on a fox drive and 2 came out of a rough bit of cover within a few minutes and 50 metres of each other. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neil cooney 10,416 Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 Always the way Columbo. Haven't seen a Woodcock since the season ended but I'm seeing more Snipe and Wigeon than I did during the season. In fact on Friday I probably seen more Snipe than I did all season. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.