I'm Not A Pheasant Plucker - (Part I)

Knowing well the controversy that surrounds hunting of all kinds, it would only be fair to issue an 'advisory notice' for those who do not care for the pursuit to log-off now!

 A cold and frosty morning there's not a lot to say about the things caught in my mind!

Don't Go Away - Oasis

This was the scene at Parley Court early this morning where rain and mild conditions were dramatically replaced by a heavy frost and almost continuous bright sunshine. The lower image shows, once again, the 5th fairway on the Golf Course which magically cleared of flood water overnight.

While I fight no corner for of against the Pheasant Shoot I have to say that my invitation to

was one of the best days of my year where I met a large number of lovely people

while learning so much more about our countryside and its management.

There is just something about farmyards that fascinate me, so I wasn't slow to both meet the company

 

and to poke my nose into the barns, outhouses, stables etc

where I found the farm cat taking 40 winks.

 

Soon it was time for 'Shoot Captain' Hugh Mullens to brief both 'guns' and 'beaters' (and the 2 observers including myself) of the strict rules, regulation and ethic of the day.

 

 All take up station for the first beat

while the first bird escapes unharmed despite 'point blank' range. This shoot was restricted to Pheasant, but as a result of the beaters c5 Common Snipe and singles of Woodcock and Grey Partridge were also seen.

Needless to say, not all birds were so lucky, giving my friend Hugh's dog Shoofty a chance to show her skills.

After the first beat there was time for conflab while the

collectors (Alexandra and her Springer Hebe),

 

BEATERs

GUNs

and ON-LOOKERs chance to relocate.

BROWN HAREs were also in evidence, but numbers are not known, along with lots of Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird and each location Nuthatches which went berserk vocally when firing started.

After a full morning walking the estate a hot Bovril drink was served with sausages, with the beverage hitting the spot perfectly.
End of another month and the Stats remain fairly healthy. Only one new country was added to the list, Swaziland, but given the total has now reach 175 that may not be too surprising. UK continue apace towards the magical 100,000 mark as both Croatia and Slovakia broach the 3 figures, leaving Austria teetering on 99.

	Num	Perc.	Country Name
	88508	72.09%	United Kingdom
	9119	7.43%	United States
	1622	1.32%	Canada
	1344	1.09%	Australia
	1308	1.07%	Estonia
	1234	1.01%	Germany
	1168	0.95%	France
	1109	0.90%	Netherlands
	1038	0.85%	Japan
	849	0.69%	Italy
	822	0.67%	India
	788	0.64%	New Zealand
	752	0.61%	Spain
	742	0.60%	Philippines
	598	0.49%	Brazil
	556	0.45%	Taiwan
	491	0.40%	Sweden
	486	0.40%	Korea, Republic Of
	441	0.36%	Poland
	421	0.34%	Switzerland
	403	0.33%	Thailand
	396	0.32%	Belgium
	362	0.29%	Norway
	347	0.28%	Russian Federation
	280	0.23%	South Africa
	277	0.23%	Romania
	276	0.22%	Mexico
	273	0.22%	Turkey
	265	0.22%	Ireland
	259	0.21%	Malaysia
	256	0.21%	Peru
	247	0.20%	Indonesia
	237	0.19%	Finland
	232	0.19%	Greece
	200	0.16%	Portugal
	187	0.15%	Czech Republic
	184	0.15%	Colombia
	184	0.15%	Denmark
	182	0.15%	Argentina
	177	0.14%	Hungary
	167	0.14%	Singapore
	159	0.13%	Pakistan
	159	0.13%	Israel
	157	0.13%	Sri Lanka
	154	0.13%	Ukraine
	154	0.13%	Hong Kong
	151	0.12%	United Arab Emirates
	146	0.12%	Saudi Arabia
	120	0.10%	Bulgaria
	119	0.10%	Vietnam
	110	0.09%	Chile
	104	0.08%	Croatia
	103	0.08%	Slovakia
	99	0.08%	Austria
	92	0.07%	Venezuela
	89	0.07%	Oman
	88	0.07%	Serbia
	81	0.07%	Costa Rica
	72	0.06%	Anonymous Proxy
	72	0.06%	El Salvador
	71	0.06%	Malta
	70	0.06%	Europe
	66	0.05%	Egypt
	63	0.05%	Lithuania
	59	0.05%	Bangladesh
	57	0.05%	Madagascar
	57	0.05%	Qatar
	56	0.05%	Ecuador
	41	0.03%	Palestinian Territory
	38	0.03%	Asia/pacific Region
	37	0.03%	Slovenia
	35	0.03%	Guatemala
	35	0.03%	Luxembourg
	33	0.03%	Mongolia
	32	0.03%
	31	0.03%	Georgia
	31	0.03%	Iraq
	30	0.02%	Guernsey
	30	0.02%	Latvia
	29	0.02%	Morocco
	28	0.02%	Lebanon
	28	0.02%	Trinidad And Tobago
	27	0.02%	Dominican Republic
	26	0.02%	Jamaica
	26	0.02%	Macedonia
	25	0.02%	Satellite Provider
	24	0.02%	Belarus
	24	0.02%	Cyprus
	24	0.02%	Kenya
	24	0.02%	Yemen
	23	0.02%	Kuwait
	22	0.02%	Cambodia
	20	0.02%	Jersey
	20	0.02%	Lao People's Democratic Republic
	19	0.02%	Jordan
	19	0.02%	Algeria
	16	0.01%	Isle Of Man
	16	0.01%	Panama
	14	0.01%	Moldova, Republic Of
	14	0.01%	Maldives
	14	0.01%	Belize
	13	0.01%	Mauritius
	13	0.01%	Uruguay
	12	0.01%	Nigeria
	12	0.01%	Bahrain
	12	0.01%	Armenia
	12	0.01%	Bermuda
	12	0.01%	Sudan
	11	0.01%	Tunisia
	11	0.01%	Puerto Rico
	11	0.01%	Montenegro
	11	0.01%	Gibraltar
	11	0.01%	Barbados
	10	0.01%	Iceland
	10	0.01%	Azerbaijan
	10	0.01%	Namibia
	10	0.01%	Nepal
	9	0.01%	Reunion
	9	0.01%	Brunei Darussalam
	9	0.01%	Virgin Island, U.s.
	9	0.01%	Tanzania, United Republic Of
	9	0.01%	Bosnia And Herzegovina
	8	0.01%	China
	8	0.01%	Zimbabwe
	8	0.01%	Albania
	8	0.01%	Honduras
	7	0.01%	Aruba
	7	0.01%	Kazakhstan
	6	0.00%	Netherlands Antilles
	6	0.00%	New Caledonia
	6	0.00%	Bhutan
	6	0.00%	Faroe Islands
	5	0.00%	Guyana
	5	0.00%	Uganda
	5	0.00%	Ethiopia
	5	0.00%	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
	5	0.00%	Guam
	4	0.00%	Zambia
	4	0.00%	Seychelles
	4	0.00%	Ghana
	4	0.00%	Bahamas
	4	0.00%	Syrian Arab Republic
	4	0.00%	Iran, Islamic Republic Of
	3	0.00%	Dominica
	3	0.00%	Bolivia
	3	0.00%	Virgin Islands, British
	3	0.00%	Myanmar
	3	0.00%	Cameroon
	3	0.00%	Gambia
	3	0.00%	Fiji
	2	0.00%	Macao
	2	0.00%	Falkland Islands (malvinas)
	2	0.00%	Botswana
	2	0.00%	Cote D'ivoire
	2	0.00%	Andorra
	2	0.00%	Paraguay
	2	0.00%	Grenada
	2	0.00%	Cayman Islands
	2	0.00%	Gabon
	1	0.00%	Afghanistan
	1	0.00%	Malawi
	1	0.00%	Haiti
	1	0.00%	French Polynesia
	1	0.00%	Uzbekistan
	1	0.00%	Suriname
	1	0.00%	Vanuatu
	1	0.00%	Saint Lucia
	1	0.00%	Swaziland
	1	0.00%	Turks And Caicos Islands
	1	0.00%	Monaco
	1	0.00%	Guadeloupe
	1	0.00%	Martinique