My wife and camera/videowoman Christine, my GSP Bruno, and I went woodcock banding in Presque Isle County in NE Lower Michigan for only one hour this morning. Our banding adventure this warm, bright, beautiful, sunny morning was shortened due to a severely torn claw and pad that Bruno sustained to his front right paw. His injury required a visit to veterinarian Walter Bungard at the Atlanta Veterinary Clinic and a few days rest for recovery. The doc fixed Bruno up fine. But during that single hour aforest, we encountered one adult woodcock (likely a male) with no chicks and a woodcock hen and her brood of three flying fledglings. With the assistance of a tag alder branch that blocked the fledgling's attempted escape flight, I was fortunate to safely net the last of the fleeing hen's flying brood of three chicks (the second time I've had such an experience capturing a flying woodcock chick, the first time being in spring 2009 about one mile from our present banding site). Enjoy the video, which tells the rest of the story.
