Can Fall Be Far Behind?

This morning we noticed a few of the swamp maples along the edge of the field we've been working Mariah in have begun to turn. The calendar still says August and it's four weeks until the fall equinox but fall comes early in the northern mountains. The first wild bird championship (the New York Grouse) we'll be running at is just two weeks away.

This morning we moved seven grouse and four woodcock with two braces of dogs. The first brace featured Jack and Teddy in a hour plus that was meant for conditioning as much as the bird work, but like the best laid plains, etc . . . 2 of the woodcock and all of the grouse were in that first hour. It was fun. Then Tony and the Groy brothers went off to run the rest of their dogs and I came back to the office to work for the rest of the day.