12/31/2017
Mid very low overcast occasional mist Strong north wind increasing substantially
Me and Bennett
Birds - 12 - 10 GW 1 gadwall 1 ruddy > (Me to Bennett....take the teal from this flock...Bennett..BOOM!..Aw crap!)
Fair amount of activity this morning with more big ducks seen. Looks like some new birds, and probably most looking for small holes to get out of the gale force winds.
A boat passing south to north on the neighboring piece about a quarter mile to our east caused a duck rise that blackened the horizon for the last mile north to the road. They moved a hundred yards west and set right back down. There were good numbers of birds coming from the bigger water, settling into our marsh when we were leaving.
Missed opportunity on a mixed flock of mallards and pintail. Left to right across the decoys, mallards broke hard to the call and were feet down at 20 yards on Bennett's side. I called " take the green head" and he jumped up, and I not being aware of it, began to unload on the pintail, which were a bit far for this wind. I was waiting for the flare and downwind flight of escape of the mallards to get my shots. He had a hood on limiting his view and never saw the over the decoys, at 4', mallards. His face was buried in the brush and didn't see the mallards break and get low. All he had was a face full of pintail drakes when he rose from the blind.
I thought I'd do a Digby pose with the gadwall.
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