5 misses had to happen today, before Gem made lunch! One of those flights was a cracker. Coming over a small hill and walking down wind, a small covey of partridge flushed. One looked like causing a problem as it zoomed off down hill towards one of the partridge pens next to which I had parked the Land Rover. However, at the last second, it raked hard right, turning back into the wind, on the windward side of the pen. Now, as a wind / weather break, a big round straw bale stands on that windward side of the pen, and there is a board leaning against the bale at 45 degrees, between the pen and the bale offering a field shelter to partridge outside. Unable to make the tight turn that the quarry had put in, Gem flew directly under the field shelter, out the other side, and continuing to turn, he then flew under the Land Rover between the two right side wheels, and out between the two front wheels! It was a terrifying but amazing maneuver to watch, but sadly, gave the fleeing partridge all the time it needed to make good its escape. So, now walking back downwind with Gem on the fist, on the side of the hill, I flushed a covey of 3 birds, two powered off into the wind and around the bend made by the end of the hill, the other however threw on the brakes and tried to make cover either in the grass, or under a feeder (it clearly hadnt seen Gems earlier aerobatics ) and on the second it touched the ground, Gem hit it. Not a long, or rising classic Goshawk flight, but a reward deserved after his efforts up to that point!
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:06:30 +0000
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