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The writer of the lead letter WINS a mystery prize!
letters
Mystery bird
I get great pleasure from your magazine every
month, especially the wildlife and countryside
articles. Occasionally in Country & Border Life you
cover more ‘nitty gritty’ issues, such as the badger
debate and reintroduction of wolves to the
countryside. I especially enjoy these as they are
more ‘meaty’ and not covered by your rivals. Plus,
the whole magazine is laid out with such beautiful
pictures, what more could I ask for for the price?
I have a query for your wildlife expert. We live in
the hilly Border region west of Oswestry and have
plenty of buzzards, a few kites and I have even
seen a male hen harrier. But I am puzzled by a
large bird that looks like a buzzard, but much
larger, about three foot wingspan, maybe slightly
more. I saw this bird a while ago and it seemed to
be testing the sheep, descending on any sheep
Lying low They may look cute, but the muntjac deer can cause devastation to native plants and
lying down, to see if they got up, presumably to
woodlands, and conservationists are concerned about their increasing numbers in Wales and the Borders
see if they were healthy – if not they would
proceed to make a meal of them! At the time
The muntjac you saw will only be the first of I remember thinking that this was strange
ALIEN INVASION
many over the coming years. The only consolation is behaviour for a buzzard. It landed in a scrubby
On Tuesday 26th August, before 8am, I was cycling that many chefs rate their venison extremely highly bush and it was then that I could estimate its size.
down a narrow lane in the Ridge area of Welsh – above that of our native red and roe.” It dwarfed the bush and was either an extremely
Frankton when I came across an animal walking large buzzard or something else.
slowly away from me. At first I thought it was a Recently my husband saw what we think is the
Autumn watch
fox, but the closer I got to it, which was about 25 same bird flying, with a polecat in its claws. A
metres, it started to run off. I could see it had an Again my thoughts seem to dwell on the same polecat would be large and aggressive prey for a
arched back, its ears were shaped round, not subject as your editor. Catherine writes about buzzard, and would weigh quite a lot. I have seen
pointed like a fox. It then shot through the hedge walking in the hay field when she was young this bird gliding round on the thermals and it is
on my right and went into a cornfield. At that and the pleasures of the month of August. noticeably large. By the behaviour and size of this
point I noticed the underside of its tail was white In 1968 it was a very wet summer. Many bird I don’t think it’s a buzzard, but cannot think
and its height was about 20 inches. lowland farmers lost their hay harvest, but the what else it would be.
When I got back home I looked in a book and weather changed towards the end of July. We in Barbara Lowe, Oswestry, Shropshire
the description was that of a muntjac deer. the uplands, where the harvest is always later, had
It would be interesting to know if anyone else a very good harvest. Country & Border Life wildlife expert Dan Butler
has seen one in the area. A lot is said about keeping children occupied in replies: “I'm delighted you enjoy the magazine and
John Walsh, near Ellesmere, Shropshire the holidays; I think country children have a better was intrigued by your mystery hawk. There seem to
opportunity to fill their time than urban children. be two main possibilities. The first is that it is indeed
Country & Border Life wildlife expert Dan Butler As autumn watch approaches I’m sending Random a buzzard. These vary widely in size and colour. The
replies: “Muntjac deer were accidentally released Thoughts on an Autumn Day.[seePoet’s Corner interest in dying sheep points to this opportunist.
from Woburn in Bedfordshire between the wars, on page 86.] Also, a little one for you, Catherine: Technically a buzzard could kill a polecat, although I
but the wild population only began to take off in agree it would normally be too much of a handful.
the 1960s. I have not yet had the pleasure On the other hand, unless you saw the kill, the
With no natural enemies, they spread rapidly To meet the magazine’s treasure, polecat could well be a road casualty.
across the Midlands during the 70s and 80s. The Who fills it with interest for all, A female goshawk seems most likely, though.
British Deer Society estimates they are advancing The lovely Catherine Waterfall. Secretive, but widespread across mid and north
west and north at about five miles a year. This Wales, they can be bigger than a buzzard and the
increase alarms many conservationists, because they Kenneth Lewis, Mold, North Wales chances increase if it is in brown (immature)
‘hoover’ across the woodland floor, devastating plumage. Normally goshawks hunt live quarry, but
important plants such as bluebells and saplings. Well Kenneth, this is a first. I can honestly say, at this time of year young birds can struggle to catch
They’re now present in all the counties along both you’re our first reader to ever write a poem about enough food, so they may investigate possible carrion.
sides of the Welsh Border, although numbers are me and it certainly made us all smile when we A polecat is within its range (females can take
still fairly low. read it! Keep up the good work. anything up to the size of a hare or even a cat).
4 October 2008
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