On a Recent Walk
In
early March this year I was taking Bramble for a walk up the Crannoch.
Having been well exercised at the gym I wasn't intending to go far
and Lance had volunteered to drop me off at the car park to walk whilst
he popped into Alldays and then collect me on his return.
Bramble was being her usual slow self on the beginning stretch. Lots
of good smells at the beginning of walks as all the other dogs mark
their passing! She eventually caught me up just before the bridge
and as she passed me she suddenly stopped and more or less went into
the point. It took me a second or two to see what she was looking
at. Coming along the edge of the path towards us was a little polecat
ferret, as bold as you please, totally unafraid. I warned Bramble
to "leave" but I don't think that she would have done anything
anyway. I spoke to the little lady (I verified this a little later)
and offered my gloved hand to be sniffed, rather wondering whether
that was such a good idea. But I needn't have worried as she investigated
my hand and didn't seem to mind my picking her up. I wasn't quite
sure what to do with her to be honest. In the end I decided to carry
her with me whilst I walked Bramble. The latter was very interested
in what was going on!!
Luckily I had planned a short walk and we only went as far as the
bench and then I turned downhill back to the old road and to the carpark.
By half way up the hill the jill had got bored with being held in
the open in my arms and decided to investigate up a sleeve! She wriggled
up and down my left arm several times, then scrabbled across my back
and down the right sleeve. She tried this out several times and then
found her way round to the front and popped her head out at the collar
once she had found her way round my scarf. Having tried out both sides
several times, re-investigated each sleeve again she finally decided
that the left side was comfiest with her head out watching the world
go by. All this as I was walking along!
By the time I had got back to the carpark I was glad to see Lance
already waiting. I had also gone through the possibility of keeping
her as an extra pet and then discarding the idea as I had nowhere
really suitable to house her, nor do I really have any idea of all
her feeding requirements (mostly rabbit presumably). I was glad that
Lance agreed with me that the best we could do was go and see if Sandy
Cruikshank (the local game keeper) was in and ask him to take care
of her. Luckily he was in and also had a suitable carrying box for
temporary housing. He said that he would feed her and then take up
to some other place where Seafield Estates keep their own ferrets.
Although I have been shooting with Lance over ferrets (and exciting
fun it is) I have never ever handled a ferret before. I have always
been rather wary of them as they can bite quite nastily. But this
little jill must have been well handled in the past. She was sweet
and gentle and I really would have loved to have kept her. I wish
that you could have been there to see her.
I have been rather lucky in seeing wild animals within the last week.
On Saturday morning a very fine Roe buck jumped a fence and ran across
the road in front of the car, just far enough ahead not to be a problem
on the snowy roads. I saw another one on the road side on my way back
on Sunday evening by the Clune. Then the ferret (admittedly not exactly
"wild", but loose) on Tuesday and yesterday, up by the pond,
a fox a mere 30 yards in front of me. I have probably had my quota
for a month or so now!
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