Uncovering a gem

Rupert Butler recalls an evening flight at a newly uncovered spot that nearly became memorable for all the wrong reasons!

- RUPERT BUTLER

One winter’s day, long, long ago, I stumbled across a wee splash in the centre of a rushy bog, no more than 30 yards wide at any point. My chance meeting with this watery delight was the height of coincidence as the area in question cannot be seen unless one is right by its side.

I was, at the time, in the process of looking for a lone woodcock that had glided here from a nearby grove, when out of the corner of my eye I spotted lots of feathers floating in the margins. On closer inspection, it seems that my newly found oasis was home to quite a few mallard and teal.

As daylight was already on the wane and with nothing planned that very evening, I decided to hide myself in some of the larger rushes and wait to see what dusk might bring. Its close proximity to the river Suir means that fowl will always be attracted here but I get the feeling that it would be particularly beneficial on blustery night when shelter is being sought. On the evening in question, I did manage to bag a few teal as well as a couple of mallard that came to dine very late on. I quickly realised that the key to future success would lie in shooting this wee splash from the opposite side, one which took more advantage of the evening light.

The opposite side

It wasn’t until the very last few days of that season that I got the chance to return – a cold blustery night with the threat of snow hanging in the air if memory serves me correctly. No matter what I did I couldn’t keep my hands warm as the temperature dropped all around.