IMO if you can shoot a rimfire rifle in the country they have several ammo options. Starting from the usual .22 shorts, longs, or long rifles, Then, you have the quite loads. .22 CCI's CB loads, (about half the power of a regular short.) then for wispier quiet you have the .22 Aguila Colibri or the super Colibri (about half the power as CCI CB load). The regular Colibri is just the primer cap and really only for 15 feet or less, a good rat or snake load if you need quiet, they verily make a pop sound. Then you have bird shot options and besides being in the country you will find other uses for a rifle (shooting gofers/snakes and such
A cheap .22 cal single shot or bolt action rifle will out preform all air rifles except the 1K and up PCP models and with shorts and no contest with longs or longrifle loads, they will out preform them a 50 yards without a high dollar scope IMO. As for scopes it's hard to beat a Bushnell Sportman for 80 bucks, great optics and all the adjustments you need to zero in on a target up to 100 yards. IMO the wally world scopes has been cheapen to lower prices.
Get srehs now if you have starlings interested in your gourds. In not your PM's will suffer later when they booth them from the home you provided.
Oh, forgot to add that I've shot both over a chronograph and there is no difference in power, the longs just generally shoot better in rifles chambered for the longer round.