Positive prospects for new wildfowling season.

Prospects for the forthcoming 2010-11wildfowling season are looking positive, the UK’s largest shooting organisation has announced.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has been in touch with a number of affiliated wildfowling clubs across the country which have said they are hopeful of a promising start to the new season.

Mark Greenhough, BASC’s wildfowling officer, said: “In all areas there are consistent reports of good numbers of resident geese, especially Canada and Greylag, with broods being hatched on waterways and inland ponds and lakes all over the UK throughout the spring and summer. In most places there seem to be consistent reports of fair numbers of mallards, but concern that many broods which were hatched early in the year may not have made it to maturity. There is talk of Pink-Footed geese arriving at traditional sites in Scotland, such as Loch Leven, by mid August, coupled with reports of successful breeding of Greylags on Mull and Iona. In recent years, Pink-Feet have been observed arriving in Norfolk in the first week in September and the same is hoped for this season. There have been no reports of the Icelandic volcanic eruption having had an adverse impact on the breeding season, and hopefully these will be borne out as the season progresses. Wildfowlers throughout the UK are, as ever, eagerly awaiting the start of the season. I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone an enjoyable and safe season.”

Alan Jarrett, chairman of the Kent Wildfowling and Conservation Association, said duck and geese seem to have bred well in the area, with good numbers of mallard, Greylag geese and Canada geese in particular.

Members of the Kent club are celebrating after it substantially increased its land holdings over the summer.

Four new areas of land to shoot over have been acquired. Land in the Medway Estuary, the Swale and in Essex have been added to the club portfolio, with another piece of land in East Sussex also being added.