Yes, there is a bird in there somewhere!
Lack of intelligence abounding - I decided to try to hunt. One factor or another has kept us out of the field. The winds yesterday were sustained gusts of 20+ mph with gusts even higher. This afternoon saw some relief from the wind. Percy was slightly lower than his first catch which was needed after the debacle on Friday. We went back to the park that yielded rabbit number two, only this time we started on the northwest end of the park, which is adjacent to an abandoned rail line. Percy was sharp and responsive even in the wind. Unfortunately he came up short in a thick wooded area, otherwise our hunt would have been over in just ten minutes (I wouldn't have complained!). Nevertheless, we played back and forth with no real success. The cover was just too thick to walk through so I would go around on one side and he would fly to the other. This happened about 4-5 times. He ended up diving on about 4 or 5 rabbits. He really looked sharp and crisp. Finally, the underbrush cleared a little and I was able to get him over by me. I started to push and saw a rabbit break from cover before disappearing in the weeds. I thought I would push the rabbit back to Percy but the rabbit had slipped past me. I took my time and the rabbit made a break. Percy launched from a high perch and did the power glide before snatching the rabbit. Again I was in a position where I couldn't see. I walked around to where he was and listened. Thank goodness for my Velarde-Style Acorn Bells from Northwoods Limited. I was able to find where Percy was. I assisted him and allowed him to eat a full crop. The walk back to the truck was rather long and cold. All in all an interesting day. I would like to get some video but need an assistant brush-beater or two to facilitate that. In the meantime please enjoy the photos I took.
