Tawny goes into orbit

Simon Whitehead is delighted to have his prized lurcher back in work but a tough retrieve is a reminder that our animals aren’t machines

- Simon Whitehead

Tawny and I walked over to the limestone wall as I was hoping to catch a glimpse of what was about. Peering over, I saw a rabbit bunched up at the base of the reeds. It was motionless and lying flat, contorting its body against the stems with its ears resting on its spine, cups pointing skywards. I thought this odd at the time, but at that moment a cacophony erupted as the resident oystercatchers filled the air with peeps, pips and hueeps.

Silhouetted against the hillside, gliding in between the airborne waders, was a peregrine falcon carrying a fledgling oystercatcher. However spectacular it was to watch and be a part of, I know that Mother Nature is neither kind nor cruel, merely indifferent. But being able to witness sights such as this is why I love to go ferreting.

It was our first day’s ferreting since Tawny’s puppies were whelped. I have been working on regaining Tawny’s fitness back to a level that will marry with her expectations of seasons past. To help ease her back in, I used a few purse-nets to try to reduce the burden on her body and the stress from mine.

With the move and change in topography, my ferreting style has had to adapt. All my gear must be easily transportable and for that reason I was using a net harness designed and made by my good friend Ian ‘Torchie’ Clayton.

Though I’m not an advocate of purse-nets nowadays, they do have a place, and decades ago Torchie designed his harnesses to make carrying, laying and picking up nets quiet and non-obtrusive.