Wandering a Spring Woodcock Covert

Was able to take Emma today and wander the Shawnee Creek Covert, a large expanse of nice looking woodcock cover that I had discovered last fall. Just several hundred yards into the cover I saw Emma making her way back to me with something large in her mouth. I wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a pic of the retrieve , but this is what she brought me.

A very alive opossum that was "playing possum". I had to wonder if a coyote or bobcat instead of Emma had found it, would it's playing dead act had saved it's life? I guess I should have gotten a rock or club and killed it for the egg eating predator that it was, but I've gotten "soft" in my old age and just can't kill something without giving it a sporting chance.

We worked our way through the nice cover. Both of us enjoying the nice day afield.

Finally Emma's bell went silent and I found her pointing in some thick alders.

 Further on in the cover she had several bumped birds until she found another one that proved to be more cooperative.

The skunk cabbage was bursting out of the ground along the creek, the first plant to proclaim that spring was here.

The birds that I saw today seemed to be large, no doubt hens, and I know that very soon nests will be built, eggs laid, and I'll have to stay out of the coverts till fall.