Different kind of Flyers at Corsehope

Our Greylag Geese have been with us since the spring & seem to enjoy our Simulated Game Days from April to September. Recently I have realised the Geese know when we have a Simulated Game Day & start their early morning conversations with calls such as "Oh good they are opening up the Gun Room early, must be another Simulated Game Day, Matthew will start up that Unimog Bertie any minute now so we had better head for the high ground & count how many Range Rovers come up the drive" - it's quite comical, they know we are shooting all year round in the Scottish Borders & they love it, from mid summer they show us their early flying skills.

It is one of the rewards of an early start on a Simulated Game Day, the Geese calls block out everything else, for half an hour or so you are part of the wild goose's world, almost a member of the flock & our routine is their clock.

Sometimes the birds have long discussions as to the exact moment they should fly and then it is as if they have a plan as to who goes with who & which team they should be in, are they copying our day we wonder.

There are few things more magical than the "Whiffle down" when the Geese return in the evening - they expel air from beneath their wings, enabling them to lose height rapidly while they put their undercarriage, flaps & landing gear into action. They chatter on for a while to tell us how much they enjoyed watching the day & about how they think we got on & how we might have kept them some prawns or salmon from lunch!