The Field September 2019

I ONCE asked a hugely experienced picker-up – a retired gamekeeper with a team of four labradors and three spaniels – what he regarded as the most challenging retrieving he ever asks his dogs to do. His answer came back as quick as a Derby winner on the home straight: September partridges. It wasn’t the answer I was expecting, so I asked him to explain why it was so much more difficult than, say, August grouse or January pheasants. The biggest problem, he told me, was that many birds so early in the season weren’t what he called match fit. “The majority of those young partridges have probably never flown more than a hundred yards in their lives. Suddenly they are asked to fly 10 times that distance. Yes, they…

WE British love our dogs even more than our horses, so why should it be that we have such excellent equestrian painting and sculpture today, and yet almost no contemporary depictions of dogs worth calling art? Canine portraitist Christopher Marshall is determined to lift dog painting to a level that is beyond the predictable, shiny-nosed cuteness of a thousand “thank you for having me” cards. Working directly with client commissions, he insists: “People want to see their animals and be able to recognise them and their character. They don’t want to see a generic chocolate-box image. Now I am lucky to be in the position where I can enjoy what I am doing with portraiture without having to be strict about the economic aspect of it.” “When I am doing…

Orvis UK saves ‘The Salt’ Festival The UK Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival, known as ‘The Salt’, is going ahead as planned this September (12-15) after Orvis UK stepped in after the previous sponsor pulled out. The event, started by Tim and Amelia Whitaker in 2014, attracts anglers from all over Britain who come to sample the saltwater fly-fishing along 12 miles of coastline around the Cornish village of St Mawes. “Catching bass on the fly on the beach or rocks is quite easy once you know how. You need to understand where they like to patrol and feed,” said Martin Webster, who won the annual Fieldtrophy at last year’s competition after catching 29 bass. This year, Webster will be offering advice to anglers during the Festival. “You need to be…

SOLO SHOW FOR FARMER TURNED PHOTOGRAPHER Wiltshire farmer turned photographer David White is holding his first solo show at the Osborne Studio Gallery from 17 September to 5 October. On show are 40 works, printed on aluminium plates in an edition of nine. Subjects range from the wildlife of White’s Wiltshire habitat to the flora of Japan and rare pheasants from Nepal, which he was invited to visit by the WPA (World Pheasant Association). All are priced at £275. For details, call 020 7235 9667 or visit: www.osg.uk.com HABITAT HELP FOR WATER VOLES Buffer strips, control of American mink and restoring wetland habitats are needed to help the water vole, numbers of which have crashed by 90%. A new guide from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) for landowners…

1 Hampshire Country Sports Day Bereleigh Estate, Petersfield (fundraiser for the CA). Tel01380 831068; www.hampshirecountrysportsday.co.uk 7 Braemar Highland Gathering Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park, Braemar, Aberdeenshire. Tel01339 741527;www.braemargathering.org 7 Moreton-in-Marsh Show Moreton, Gloucestershire. Tel01608 651908;www.moretonshow.co.uk 7-8 Dorset Food Rocks Festival Lyme Regis, Dorset (fundraiser for the Fisherman’s Mission and RNLI). Fortickets to thesupperclubs,visit:www. hixrestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/food-rocks 7-8 Sandringham Game and Country Fair Sandringham Estate, Norfolk. Tel01283 820660; www.sandringhamgameandcountryfair.co.uk 8 Frampton Country Fair Frampton on Severn, near Gloucester. Tel01452 740152;www.framptoncountryfair.co.uk 13-18 LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair Berkeley Square, London W1. Tel020 7823 3511;www.lapadalondon.com 13-22 Heritage Open Days Theme for 25th anniversary year is ‘People Power’. Tel020 7824 7180; heritageopendays.org.uk 14 Ride+Stride for Churches Money raised will help repair some of Britain’s 42,000 churches and chapels. Tel020 7222 0605;www.rideandstrideuk.org 14-15 Midland…

MOST VIEWED Test drive We put the new Browning 525 SL to the test in the June issue and found it an excellent gun at a great price. Fielders have since been comparing their own test drives online. “Both me and my caddy/ sidekick Aubrey, aged 6½, were very impressed,” shared one. “We thought it looked great. Handling is very good, as you’d expect from a 525. The recoil (or lack thereof) is astonishing. If I were taking up shooting now, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one: hell, I might get one anyway.” #THEFIELDMAGAZINE On tour A superb weekend was had by all at the Scottish Game Fair, where The Field met loyal subscribers, introduced the magazine to more avid readers and hosted a daily discussion on the Brewin Dolphin…