The pigs are out!

The pigs were out to Pannage at Mill Lawn this morning. Pannage is the ancient tradition of allowing the commoners pigs to range the forest searching for nuts, which in excess can be poisonous to the forests' horses and cattle. The season began earlier in September and will run until the end of November. This drift were very friendly, approaching determined to give us a thorough once over, upon realizing we had/were nothing of interest they made off. Take care though, some pigs can be a touch feisty, chasey even, they've had me running on more than one occasion.

Tummy rub?

I've met these pigs (a group of 8 or 9) a couple times foraging along the banks of Red Rise brook this pannage. These two rolled over like dogs to get their tummies rubbed, and enjoyed every minute of it. I was happy to be of service.

Pigs

A drift of pigs at pannage crowd the verge close to the ford at Moyles Court. A dozen or so of them, displaying a broad range of colour and pattern, busy hoovering up the fruits of the oak, they're being well fed this year. Always lovely to see them.

Pork scratching

 

Pork scratching.

Pigs

The pigs are out to pannage, how successful they'll be I don't know. It's not been a good season for acorns or mast, the chestnuts that have fallen so far are nothing to shout about, and neither are many of the crab apples. A thin harvest for them, though I know they’ll make the best of it. We passed a large group of them near the High Corner this morning, maybe 20 pigs, in wide ranging colours, several multi coloured. They weren't bothered by us though, too busy snuffling. It's lovely to see them out and about.

Pigs!

 

This morning the forest appeared quiet on the surface, although underneath that quiet there was a lot of natural energy amongst the stands. We could hear stags growling, barking and clashing racks somewhere off deeper in the woods as they vied for mating rights; cattle watched us pass with suspicion as they mooch and graze the open woodland; a stampede of a dozen or more ponies thundered through the Rise towards us, only veering off at the last moment; whilst a troop of pigs eagerly at pannage grubbed up the woodland and riverbank with their noses in search of acorns and mast, only pausing briefly to investigate us and say hello. It's fascinating to watch the pigs at pannage and their antics, they're real characters. This is natures last hurrah before our current cycle ends, and the welcome rest until the new suns' birth when the cycle begins again.    

Pannage

Pannage is upon us and I understand the pigs have been released into the forest; although as yet we've not spotted any. What a grand old tradition pannage is; the practice is nearly 1000 years old, dating to establishment of the royal hunting forest by William of Normandy way back in 1079. It's a joy meeting the pigs amongst the trees, well, for the most part that is, occasionally you'll come up against some brute, in which case......run! 

Pannage

The pigs have been out to pannage for a few weeks now, we've seen them all over the place. Although this was the first time we'd got close, on a couple of previous occasions it was big old sows with expansive litters in tow; experience has shown they really don't appreciate you getting too close to their piglets, and certainly object to dogs doing so. These two were cool, happily snuffling for acorns and chestnuts, and happy to say hello. It's always lovely seeing the pigs out and about, and on the whole they're inquisitive and friendly, they always bring a smile to your face; personally though I'd be happy to see them in the forest all the time.

Pannage 2021

F*ck off! That's what Mrs Pig was saying, and what we did shortly after taking the photo as Mrs Pig took a dislike to Geoff and I. Not wishing to cast aspersions on Geoff, but I think it was him who Mrs Pig wanted gone rather than I. There were piglets in the group, and she was obviously taking no chances. It'll be a thin year's feasting this pannage for the forest's pigs, none of the forest's nuts have come to much.

Pig out?

We were not expecting to come across a pig out in the forest at this time of the year, a big feisty sow, normally you'd only see pigs out at pannage season, much later in the year. Without provocation she trotted towards us, now I don't know if her approach was out of inquisitiveness or aggression, but I wasn't going to wait to find out, and made off in haste. Only to accosted and chased shortly after by a small herd of bull calves. It was like Animal Farm, the animals were throwing off their shackles and revolting. The forest is full of the unexpected.  

Get off my land!

Get off my land! Geoff and I came across a gang of quite fierce hogs out in Burley New enclosure this afternoon. I think they were Tamworths, to me they looked more boar-like than the other pigs we'd seen out to pannage, with long snouts and pricked up ears. Tamworths are supposed to be a docile but active breed, so maybe I misunderstood their inquisitiveness for fierceness, they were big buggers though, and so we took flight through the stands when they began running towards us. I wasn't scared or anything, you understand.

Pigs

We knew the pigs were out to pannage around the forest (pannage is the tradition of releasing pigs into the forest to hoover up the acorns, dangerous in high quantities to the forest's ponies), although this was our first spotting of them this season. It's always lovely to see them out, they add something to the forest...maybe it's a dim echo of the past when wild pigs would have been a common sight in the landscape. Geoff was interested in them and wanted a closer look, but the young pigs were more interested in him and wanted an even closer look...Geoff ran away.  I don't know if this was a family group, the sow did look different to the younger pigs accompanying her, that said, I know little about the Suidae family. Whatever, they were a healthy and inquisitive bunch, enjoying the autumnal sun and their nutty feast (acorns have been particularly bountiful this year).

Hard rain

The sound of acorns falling earthward followed us on our walk through Burley Old and along the wooded corridor of Red Rise Brook this morning...it was near continuous. It's been a good year for the acorn, with oaks boughs hanging low, soon you'll be treading them underfoot as they begin to cover the forest floor. The pigs will be happy though, in a few weeks it'll be pannage. Pannage in the New Forest dates back to AD1079, when during September around 600 pigs (much greater numbers were released in previous centuries) are released into the forest stands for a minimum of two months to eat their fill of Oaknuts (as well as other nuts). A feast for the pigs and a blessing for the New Forest ponies; acorns are poisonous to ponies. I look forward to seeing the pigs roaming the woodland, they're animals with character. You need to watch out, mind, not all of them are friendly, although that said, most are, and very inquisitive too. 

Tiring work

Grubbing for acorns can be tiring work, you know. These two youngsters are enjoying a well earned snooze on full bellies, grunting and moaning as I pass, though making no attempt to get up.  It's things like coming a cross a couple sleeping pigs under an old oak tree which make the forest so magical.

Here piggy piggyy

It's that time of year again when the pigs roam the New Forest in search of tasty morsels...pannage season. Every autumn between mid September and mid November (although this can be extended in bumper years) the commoners release their pigs into the forest to search out nuts, in particular Acorns which are poisonous to the forests ponies and cattle. They can be unpredictable buggers, pigs, sometimes being quite aggressive as well as chasing you, which I can tell you gets you moving, though for the most part they're amiable creatures, inquisitive but harmless, more scared of you. I'd take care to check them out before getting to close though, and keep your distance for sows with piglets, man, they can be feisty. It's a lovely thing to see. This was Geoff's first encounter with pigs. I checked them out before getting too close, they were clearly the mellow type. Geoff on the lead, we cautiously approached each other, the pigs interested in Geoff and Geoff in them, they sniffed each other and were cool.  I let Geoff off the lead and they mingled without incident, Geoff intrigued by their snuffling had a go himself. 

Pigs still doing their thing

It must have been a really good year for acorns, as Pannage continues into December.  Nowadays there are handfuls of pigs out at pannage during the season, a couple of hundred or so in all, though in the 1800's the number would have been in excess of 5000. Imagine what that would have been like. Makes think what the forest must have been like in those days.  

Matley Pannage

The pigs are still out throughout the forest at pannage. These British Saddleback's out at Matley were much friendlier than those I ran from at Mill Lawn, more inquisitive than anything else, they'd come right up to you, though scatter at your slightest move.

Hard pigs

I'd read in an article over the weekend that there were a gang of rowdy pigs roaming the Mill Lawn area attacking folk. One guy even got knocked over and bitten!  So as I was walking nearby I thought I'd seek said gang out, and see if they were as hard as people made out. They were! I didn't have search too far for them, I followed the sound of a barking dog, the sort of bark that suggests 'look what I've found', and sure enough a small hound was bothering and being bothered by a group of 5 pigs. Just as I got near, the dog buggered off and the pigs got on with snuffling. All 5 pigs were a fair size, soft fawny brown with black spots, fine examples of their breed, no doubt.  The area where they were grubbing has plenty of cover, so it was easy to sneak up quite close. They didn't notice me for a while, too busy with their searching.  The photo is taken at the moment they did notice me, and only seconds before they ran at me. As the article had suggested, they were indeed aggressive, feisty and looking for trouble. I'd equipped myself with a sturdy stick, with the intention of standing my ground and showing them I wasn't scared. Though I quickly dropped that plan in favour of running away as fast as I could. Luckily they weren't that persistent, as I'm not certain I could have out run them if they kept coming.  Man, could they move fast. Really fast! Even taking into account the dog bothering them, I'd say these were the most aggressive pigs I've come across in any pannage. Normally they're inquisitive and will come right up to you, although tentatively and would withdraw at any sudden move. Still, fun in the forest.

Pannge

Pannage is well under way throughout the forest as the commoners pigs enjoy this years bumper crop of acorns. There was a sweet little group out near Knightwood Oak, about 10 or so piglets, in a variety of lovely colours, and with a very laid back mother. A mother who although keeping an eye on them, and you, was cool with you getting close to her little darlings. As for the piglets themselves, they weren't really bothered, too many tasty treats to be snuffled. I saw a group out last week, the piglets were a bit older and very skittish, the mother was protective and aggressive too. So much so that I stayed behind a fallen bough, and in the end decided I wasn't going to be able to get a photo and left them in peace.  It's best not to be too complacent around the forest beasties.  Fair enough really, being a human, I don't think we have a great reputation amongst the natural world.

Pigs doing their thing

They're here! The pigs are out to pannage. This group were wandering about the wooded environs of Red Rise Brook (which as I suggested yesterday were back to normal, all the flood waters gone and the gravel bed of the brook exposed in places), and there was plenty for them to forage for. They were quite a friendly bunch, more interested in us than anything. I wish we hadn't sanitised our countryside, it's one of the aspects of re-wilding which most appeals to me, the idea of reintroducing once common, now absent wildlife.  Yeah, I know it would cause problems initially, but we'd get over it, we'd adapt. Other countries retain wild animals, some dangerous, and they get by. It's a real joy seeing the pigs out, if you're lucky, you'll spot pigs, ponies, cows and deer, all mingling together. I did. I say 'if you're lucky', as I've only seen that twice, it was cool, though.