by Rick » Wed Aug 05, 2026 10:26 am
Was back in the marsh clearing gator line openings Sunday, when three little ducks zipped past slip-sliding side to side, much more like blue-wings than woodies, and became my first "maybe teal" of the year. Their number struck me as notable, as I'd seen three too-early "maybe teal" while picking eggs in Big John's marsh a year or two ago, followed by three more shortly after while piddling around at nearby Cherry Ridge. Which came to mind when three more "sure as heck looked like teal" passed between Call and I and the rising sun on our morning rice country constitutional. Being silhouetted made their ID uncertain, though the woodies passing a few minutes later where most definitely that. Should three more unidentified little ducks pass in the next few days, they may be stalking, or haunting?, me.
Been a blessing that Call, dark brown coat and all, has held up to summer heat that leaves me wringing wet with sweat well enough that we've been able to continue our morning ag land training and exercise this long - thanks as well to a farmer friend having held his mostly gator-safe crawfish water well past that need. This morning we found those gates open and drop-pipes pulled, so that's over, but we also found the flood canals to his first crop rice stubble filling and flowing to spur growth for a second crop or, more likely. forage for his next crawfish crop. My guess being that he'll just flush, rather than flood, to discourage apple snail production. But even that will provide enough safe dog-cooling water to afford us at least a few more field days there.
And we both can use all of the training and conditioning days we can muster.
