2026-2027 Preseason...

[Rick]

Just now noticed this season's logs are up. Much thanks, Duck Engr, for that and all you do here.

[Rick]

Still eerily bird barren in my neighborhood. Farmer friend let the water off his crawfish ponds and pumped just enough water onto his rice stubble to spur its regrowth for the coming season's crawfish on Call and my favorite playground, which first gave a shorebird show that included the little buggers that's migration precedes teal, then a couple days of squealers in the stubbles to play with and now nothing remains but deer flies and desperate turtles.

And the marsh isn't much more encouraging: as of yesterday, still just scattered woodies and the only concentration of black-bellies, near Neil's blind, hasn't grown appreciably since its appearance on the first of the month. A couple dozen little ducks did get up with them, but I'd not bet the size disparity between they and the squealers didn't turn woodies into "maybe teal".

[Rick]

Call and I were in the marsh yesterday morning clearing chinquapins (American lotus) from line of sight to spots that will sprout gator hooks two weeks from tomorrow, and I went back again this morning to finish up with a jug of poison in Call's spot behind my seat. Made a point of staying well clear of the only area that was holding black-bellies a week ago, and the only one little bunch seen yesterday was spotted, from a distance, above it. This morning, however, there were little flights of them scattered about the marsh, a couple of which close enough to reach and draw to my blind with distress squeals. Just shut up as they approached and watched them search for the source without revealing it. I feel much better now.

[Rick]

Wake up Marshbear!!! September teal are just a month away!!!

Learned last evening that I'd somehow managed to misplace the teal-cut reed I've been using in a serious loud Stanley Deceiver the past however-many years and had to cut a new one I can lean on even harder. Just lacks teal to test it on...

[Darren]

Just lacks teal to test it on...

Calendar says some will be along shortly to fill that void. Big moon next Friday the 28th, combining with (maybe) a cool front of some kind as models continue to hint at something (a good something, not a tropical something!) late next week.

[Rick]

No call crank can be really happy with something new until it's proven, but Call and I went to the marsh to knock down the lilies I'd poisoned for line of sight to gator sets and at least got to satisfy my ear in that environment. Still no teal, but more squealers, So there's that. Step son who's the Camron deputy on our end came by the camp while we were packing up and noted that he was yet to see more than a pair of summer teal a month ago in his extensive rural travels.

Still something to look forward to...

[Rick]

Lost Call in the marsh yesterday. Chinquapin (American lotus) lilies are in their glory and creating a canopy over much of the marsh that would block the gators' view of most of our sets if not cleared. So we were making a last pass at that when I realized I'd not opened a run to show the fellow who'll drive our skiff the route through a huge expanse of them between sets and just finished my first trip through it before discovering that Call was no longer in his place behind my seat.

Was the most gut-wrenching feeling I've suffered in a very long time. No idea of where he bailed, or fell, out and only vague memory of his presence when I'd made the turn into the vast jungle I'd never be able to see him in. Couldn't have felt sicker or more hopelessly hollow as I started my search - or more incredibly thankful when I killed the engine in a place where I'd already passed but could hear him lunging and plunging my way. Tears me up to think how he felt trying to follow the sound of our boat first this way and then that through the morass. But he was plainly as thankful for our little miracle as I.

No telling what the chances were of his finding his way to another human before a tataille of some sort found him. Or of that leading to our reunion. But, when we got home, I broke with long precedent and ordered an ID-tagged collar and a second ID plate for the e-collar it pains me more than he to see my ADHD, sometimes still wild child, wear. I hate the appearance, much less the implications, of a collar on one of my partners. And the first four of my Chessies never wore a collar of any sort, Marsh only wore an e-collar briefly after repeatedly sparring with a momma gator, and Call now periodically finds himself in that, because even as he approaches his third birthday, I'm still not confident something hazardous won't short his circuitry.

[Ducaholic]

Wow! Glad y'all are reunited. I can't imagine the angst you were feeling!