Passo dei Tordi: A rich dish I stick with it .. So we can summarize the pace of the thrushes in October, finally it was a year full of satisfactions, especially for the pure sheds, who with their stalking positioned in strategic points and with "a lot of passion ”, Especially in the north of our peninsula, they were able to make important game bags.
Even for those who prefer to dedicate themselves to this hunt in the olive groves or in the crossing points with provisional stalking, the month of October has given great satisfaction. In the north, in the Lombard mountain areas, the pace was in two separate moments, a first period at the beginning of October, where excellent results were achieved and then repeated in mid-month where in a couple of days the hunting success was even higher. In the Center and in the South, of course, the periods were staggered by a few days or weeks, both for the different latitude and for some really hot days where the sirocco wind dominated the weather, blocking any migratory activity. Then when the north wind returned, in a few days, really rich, we observed a strong thrush step, but also of wood pigeons, frosoni, finches and blackbirds.
After this brief summary of the "migratory" month par excellence, I had to generalize, surely many hunters will have to object, but in a few lines it is not possible to analyze all the local and particular situations. The fact is that finally, in principle, the satisfactions have overcome the disappointments, now we will see how many turdids will elect Italy as their wintering country, this year the poor quality of the olives has forced many farmers not to harvest them, leaving them a large quantity available to birds, certainly a situation particularly pleasing to thrushes and… hunters.
The thrush together with the blackbird, for many followers of Diana represents the main target for the hunting season, it eats game that does not require special equipment or the help of the dog, therefore within the reach of anyone, a place to take a poultry or a everyone knows him back. For the first, it will be enough to position yourself at the first light of dawn at the edge of a wood, where we know thrushes love to rest during the night, perhaps near olive groves or other food resources, looking for a good "edge", such as a ditch or a row of plants, arrange the direction of the forest and wait for the little birds to come out. We will have to be ready to make fast and often jab shots, at targets that are not easy at all due to the great speed and unpredictability of the flight.
Upon returning, the position is exactly the opposite, it will be necessary to prepare a minimum of stalking, at least a bulkhead, it will always be important to identify plants or those points that the turdids use as references, the usual ditch generally represents the best solution. Upon returning, generally, the shot is easier, we will have the opportunity to see the birds in time and prepare for the shot, then as the evening arrives, the altitude of the flight will lower until it becomes almost low to the ground, but this, usually, after the legislator has made us unload the rifle because of the evening time.
Our turdid friends are also insidious in the daytime hours in the feeding places, with zirli, hen or more simply chasing away, they are and remain a great resource for hunters of all social groups.
The season started in the best way, this also demonstrates that the hunting is the least of the problems for small migrants, we hope that even someone from ISPRA will notice it ... We just have to be careful with the hunting calendars, now a kind of stew, with differentiations even at the provincial level, then with the Natura 2000 areas, where each Region has legislated in its own way, we hope to return to uniform and easy-to-understand calendars.
Saverio Patrizi
18.11.2014