Jessie was showing signs of unrest by today. She started keening at me when I went out this morning at daylight. The other two days she was happy to get a Quail. Today was different.
We took her up at 1PM and headed to the Lake.
There is another storm blowing in from the South West, but things are calm for now.
This time when I approached the Lake, I stayed back a bit more, just in case the Ducks, the last time we were there, flushed when I raised Jess up in the air to ready her to fly. One never knows what will be on the Lake, if anything, until you crest the ridge line. I was watching Jessie to see how she was flying as an indicator of Ducks or disappointment. She started cranking up into the sky, so I began to feel a bit better.
The back half of the pond had only Coots, but as I walked further the good Ducks began to show. Holy Crap! there was a pile of them on there this time. This time I decided to not actively flush. Perhaps I was concerned that she would be swamped with the sheer volume of the Ducks present. I could see Mallards, and even Canvas backs, or Red heads, I can never be sure.
Jessie kept climbing in anticipation. Finally the Ducks couldn't take it any more and they began to try to make their escape. Jessie began her stoop straight down at the Ducks. The Ducks broke to their left trying to get around and under the trees. Jessie cut a sharp left, and finished her stoop on the other side of the trees. She then "threw up" over the height of the trees and went in after her prey.
I was quite a way up the hill, and had to descend, and skirt around the end of the pond to get to her. As I got to the lake itself, I could hear a Mallard squawking over the bank on the other side. Its hard to hurry, but I gave it my best shot.
As I got to where I could see her, I was surprised to see a Immature Red Tail trying to bluff Jessie out of her Duck. Jessie and the Duck were on one side of a tree stump, and the Red Tail was on the other.
I have no idea how long the Red Tail had been there, I didn't even know that he was in the area. He must have been sitting on the back side of the trees.
As soon as he saw me, he turned and took off, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Jessie resumed her fight with the Mallard Hen.
I was finally able to finish the Duck, and I did my best to get comfortable while she plucked the feathers and then the fat. If she ate any of the meat, it was by accident.
Once she had eaten all the fat she could hold we went home for her well deserved bath. She is now sitting in the heated work shop, drying off.
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