By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Last season was not been one of the best as far as moonflighting was concerned. With
each successive full moon we watched the sky hopefully; searching for the conditions which
can spell success on the saltings.
In October and November the skies were too clear. The ideal conditions for a moonflight
occur when a thin veil of cloud masks the full moon and provides a light backdrop against
which any ducks or geese will be silhouetted. A cloudless sky is inky black and, under
such circumstances, birds will be heard but not seen.
December was even worse. The full moon just before Christmas was accompanied by thick
rain-clouds which darkened the sky and made flighting impossible. Such are the
frustrations of the coastal wildfowler.
We thought that January was also going to be a washout. Heavy cloud cover marred most of
the full moon period and it seemed that the entire season might pass without a single
opportunity to do business with the nightflighting fowl. Then, two days after the full
moon, I was just preparing to climb into bed when Tom phoned.
"Look out your window," he instructed. I did - and saw nothing. "The moon is perfect for a flight," he added. "Are you coming out?"
I should explain that Tom lives almost on the estuary while Creekcrawler's residence is 30 miles to the west. Although my pal was reporting perfect cloud conditions at the coast, the sky above me was still dark with thick clouds and, indeed, rain was falling.
The chance was not one to be missed, however, and I told Tom I would meet him at the old railway crossing in 40 minutes. My wife took one look at the clock - it was half past midnight - and told me that I was completely mad! Although I was inclined to agree, I proceeded to gather together gun, cartridges and waterproofs before releasing the old labrador from her kennel and setting off along the A91 towards St Andrews.
Passing into Kinross-shire the rain ceased and, as the Fife border was reached, the clouds thinned and the faint orb of the moon shone through them. By the time I met Tom above the estuary, conditions seemed perfect although there was no guarantee that they would remain that way.
The tide was well out so we crawled along the river channel for almost a mile before finding a place to hide. Waders piped their plaintive tunes as we disturbed them but, as yet, we had heard nothing of the wigeon or pinkfeet which we hoped would be flighting under the moon.
As we settled into our gullies a small pack of duck circled round, low and fast. My gun went up and, just in time, their wingbeats identified them as shelduck. I don't know how often I have been saved from committing that particular crime just in the nick of time. A single quack then broke the silence and Tom's gun spoke once, bringing a fat mallard duck tumbling to the mud.
That was the extent of the action for almost an hour and we were beginning to feel the night chill creeping through our thermals when the beloved calling of pinkfooted geese pervaded the night sky. The birds must have been roosting in the inner basin and, finally, had decided that the silvery moonlight was sufficiently bright to let them indulge in a nocturnal nosh-up.
Needless to say, those pinks headed straight off the saltings without coming anywhere near our position. Their departure did, however, signal the start of a more general level of activity throughout the estuary. Small groups of pinkfeet flighted in from the outer sands and wigeon traversed the marsh, searching for the most succulent grazing.
By the time that Tom and I called it a day (or a night) at 4.30 am, we had accounted for only one mallard, one pinkfoot and three wigeon but, as a last-gasp attempt at moonflighting, it was highly fulfilling. In some areas the dafter conservation organisations are attempting to have moonlight shooting banned. If they ever succeed then our wildfowling heritage will be much poorer as a result.
Although there may be only a few nights each season when conditions are right, fowling under the moon is an incredibly satisfying experience. Disturbance to the marsh is much less than occurs at dawn or dusk and, because birds are normally shot at much closer range, there is far less chance of merely wounding the quarry. All in all, any attempt to ban moonflighting is not only unwelcome but fundamentally misguided.
moon geese goose shooting hunting moonlight wildfowling creekcrawler kinross pinkfoot wigeon pinkfooted