Aye Mates,
As a visual artist, I continue to push my boundaries in exploration of different mediums and more diverse subject matter, still most of my works are deeply rooted in my passion for the natural world. This time of year always bring my thoughts to bird hunting, a love affair with all related stretching back to my adolescence. I grew up hunting the New England uplands with a focus on grouse and woodcock early on, that expanding to an obsession for waterfowl hunting, both are still a true passion to this very day. I found myself wandering amidst old coverts today, those I once successfully hunted for both grouse and woodcock. Sadly, there were no thunderous beating of wings as a grouse exploded toward the sky. The haunts “Old Ruff” once commonly occupied are largely vacant.
The places I could once depend upon to present a shot now present only very beloved memories and a hollow feeling in my heart for their absence.
Camera in hand, I shot skyward through the over story , the pungent smell of wild grapes hung in the September air and their vines captured my imagination as they underlined the void of partridge that surely dwelled here in times gone by. I decided to accentuate the vines in darkness against the bright sky as a symbol of my darkened emotion of sadness for the quarry that once brightened my youth. I hope the composition speaks to you.
Irishwhistler 🍀
"DARK WEB"
TEAM TRAD PRO STAFF
DUBLIN DUCK DYNASTY
Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Adrea Coor, and Nuala Kennedy, each an Irish whistle goddess in her own right.
Not sure why, but I thought of a stained glass window when I saw your photo.
TEAM TRAD PRO STAFF
DUBLIN DUCK DYNASTY
Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Adrea Coor, and Nuala Kennedy, each an Irish whistle goddess in her own right.
Stained glass is what came to mind first to me too.
Maybe after all the years of hunting the birds have finally gotten wise to you and were just waiting for you to depart before showing up.
Hidden Content
Kissing Bandit
Fran,
Not the case. This is primarily the result in changes in habitat with mature forests dominating over the early successional habitat preferred by grouse and woodcock. Other limiting factors are the changes in land use and susceptibility to predation on nesting by these species (both being ground nesters), that making brood success an uphill battle.
Reductions in season length and daily bag limits have long been implemented regardless of the fact that hunting related mortality is not a critical factor in population decline. That said, I no longer hunt grouse in my area and only do so in states with stable grouse populations. Woodcock are in an entirely different situation as they are a migrational specie and not as subject to the cover type fluctuations in localized areas.
Irishwhistler
TEAM TRAD PRO STAFF
DUBLIN DUCK DYNASTY
Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Adrea Coor, and Nuala Kennedy, each an Irish whistle goddess in her own right.
Beautiful photo. I too think it could be a stained glass window.
I liked the photo - stained glass came to my mind as well.
I especially enjoyed the result of the canvas you painted with your words. A deep love of and for what was, and a lovely description of what is.
Thank you for sharing.
Andrew, Faye, Fitzi, and Lucy
Not gone, only gone on ahead - Bruno, Rex, BoJo, Kendal, Kingsley, Moonpie, Avis, Corndog, Stella, and now Achilles
I invite you to visit my blog, Hidden Content .
Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet? | |
|
|