Monday 26 September 2011

The sport is, you fly, then you get shot!

At this time of year there are loads of Red-legged Partridges to be seen on the fields in the area, and I came across this group some where between Studdal and Betteshanger.

There was a group of around 45 and as soon as I stopped to look at them they ran off to shelter under the nearest hedge.

A couple that got left behind took flight and caught up with the rest of the group. They are fun to watch, but of course they've been put out in the wild so that they can provide "sport" for the shooting fraternity.

On one field I noticed a lump on the ground that looked interesting, and as soon as I put my camera up it grew wings and took flight, disappearing behind the nest hedge.

It took a while to get to the other side of the hedge to see two Buzzards, now quite far back slowly gliding towards a wood just behind the fields.

The road took me to where I thought that they were heading, but they weren't to be seen, so, suspecting that they had probably been feeding on carrion in the first field that I'd seen them in, I retraced my route. One was flying round the field, and landed on top of the hedge, again still at a fair distance.
With what appears to be a large Rabbit poplation, at the moment, and cars now speeding quickly along the lanes, I'm sure that there will be plenty of food for them, and available with very little effort on their part.

No comments: