KASPAAS

I’ve been dreaming about a certain shallow little pannetjie in the Soutrivier, not far from where I live in Frans-kraal, a small seaside village. The Western Cape bird shooting season is (to my mind anyway) rather strange, with the duck season opening on 1 January and closing on 30 June. Readers undoubtedly know that Egyptian geese and spurwing geese are open all year round. However, this is a winter rainfall area and by the time my favourite little pannetjie is full and inundated with all kinds of ducks, the season is already closed.

Perhaps there is some method to Cape Nature’s madness – their seasons are making it very difficult for a wildfowler to get everything right. Perhaps it’s a round-about way of protecting the birds? The little pannetjie has frustrated me for many years. Until now, when we had an unusual heavy spell of rain in January. When I phoned the farm manager he told me they have already had more than 100mm of rain. “Don’t forget your gumboots,” he added. It was obviously very wet.

Trusting what I have learnt over many years of visiting this place, I just had to get out there and see