Steve Sanford
Well-known member
All~
After putting my daughter Emily and husband Folke on the plane back to Berlin on Monday afternoon, I joined old friends Craig Kessler and Fred Wertz on the Bay Tuesday morning. Freddie has had a bunch of surgeries this fall - and so it was a nice surprise to learn that he was physically able to join us.
Fortunately, we had FINALLY gotten some cold. The mercury started dropping on Sunday and it read 13 F when I arose Tuesday morning. It was enough to skim over most of our freshwater ponds but not enough to make ice on the salt water.
We rigged late morning - after the tide had begun to drop - and Freddie shot this nice Drake Black Duck within moments of our settling down. This photo shows those black markings - the "tobacco lips" - that separate the face from the bill.
We rigged about 2 dozen Black Duck stool and 6 or 8 other puddlers. Although I shot them with neither gun nor camera, we had Brant through the rig most of the day. We were hunting on the 5th - but the Brant season did not open until yesterday - the 6th. It was a great pleasure just to watch and listen - without worrying about shooting. I never tire of sharing the Bay with these graceful birds.
Here is that Drake Black again.
Craig called in 8 Mallards. They put on a nice show, circling a few times and passing right over the boat on their final approach, just before they cut back into the rig.
Freddie was feeling well enough to retrieve the Hen Greenwing while Craig was fetching a Drake.
We all misID'd this bird - because she came right on the deck all the way - skirting the decoys until Craig folded her up at the head of the rig. The "Gadwall" and "Greenwing" turned out to be a young-of-the-year Hen Wigeon. Note the lack of iridescence in the speculum.
A fine start to Ought-Six. I plan to get back down a couple more times before the Long Island Zone closes on the 31st.
All the best,
SJS
After putting my daughter Emily and husband Folke on the plane back to Berlin on Monday afternoon, I joined old friends Craig Kessler and Fred Wertz on the Bay Tuesday morning. Freddie has had a bunch of surgeries this fall - and so it was a nice surprise to learn that he was physically able to join us.
Fortunately, we had FINALLY gotten some cold. The mercury started dropping on Sunday and it read 13 F when I arose Tuesday morning. It was enough to skim over most of our freshwater ponds but not enough to make ice on the salt water.
We rigged late morning - after the tide had begun to drop - and Freddie shot this nice Drake Black Duck within moments of our settling down. This photo shows those black markings - the "tobacco lips" - that separate the face from the bill.
We rigged about 2 dozen Black Duck stool and 6 or 8 other puddlers. Although I shot them with neither gun nor camera, we had Brant through the rig most of the day. We were hunting on the 5th - but the Brant season did not open until yesterday - the 6th. It was a great pleasure just to watch and listen - without worrying about shooting. I never tire of sharing the Bay with these graceful birds.
Here is that Drake Black again.
Craig called in 8 Mallards. They put on a nice show, circling a few times and passing right over the boat on their final approach, just before they cut back into the rig.
Freddie was feeling well enough to retrieve the Hen Greenwing while Craig was fetching a Drake.
We all misID'd this bird - because she came right on the deck all the way - skirting the decoys until Craig folded her up at the head of the rig. The "Gadwall" and "Greenwing" turned out to be a young-of-the-year Hen Wigeon. Note the lack of iridescence in the speculum.
A fine start to Ought-Six. I plan to get back down a couple more times before the Long Island Zone closes on the 31st.
All the best,
SJS
