Coots are quarrelsome, belligerent and cantankerous, especially the males in springtime before the females lay their eggs. Sometimes weaker combatants are killed. So when a more dominant (stronger) male signals aggression toward another male, the weaker bird often makes every effort to escape conflict. That’s what happened here. I thought the situation made for some interesting and unique action photos though they’re not great images.
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc,
When they’re in a hurry, these birds literally run across the water with the aid of their lobed (not webbed) feet and those feet make quite the splash. This is the dominant bird, chasing another coot who is just out of frame to the left and has made the splashes that this coot is running through.
1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc,
This action was very fast which produced a trail of splashes that was much wider than I could get in the frame and a less-than-sharp bird.
1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc,
It would have been fun if one of the images had the head and neck poking through one of the water splashes but it didn’t happen. Maybe next time.
1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc,
Here the dominant coot is giving up the chase and beginning to settle back down into the water.
1/640, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc,
But this shot (different birds, taken on another day) shows why the weaker bird was so anxious to avoid physical conflict. The fights can be vicious and this one lasted a long time and was very one-sided. I thought the coot on the right was going to kill the other bird as it held its head under water for quite a while but eventually the weaker coot escaped.
I’m always interested in bird behaviors and American Coots have some complex and intriguing ones. I ignore them all too often.
Ron
Terrific series! I love watching the coots and it’s amazing how intense their fighting can become. Fantastic shots of the coot running through the water walls!
Pecking (pushing/shoving/drowning) order is something I find endlessly fascinating. Thank you so much for this series – as is usual I both thoroughly enjoyed it and learned something. I didn’t know that Coots could walk/run on water.
I hear you. I would think they are mating, definitely have seen them fighting and couldn’t see them at time for the splashes.Love the image of one running across the water.
Finally found a coffee shop with wifi and catching up on your posts Ron. You’ve been as busy as always. I kind of like missing your images, and then getting to look through everything that I missed. It’s fun. Of course, the images are incredible as always. Keep it up! A great supplement to a life on the road centered around birds.
Amazing images, beautiful!
Great shots. Are you sure of the gender of the two on the last photo. I’ve seen wood ducks mate and how the poor female ever survives such an attack is beyond me.
Mike – No, I’m not positive what sex the two birds in the last photo were but I’m quite sure that they weren’t mating or attempting to. I watched them fighting for quite a while and I feel confident that it was agonistic behavior.
Amazing photos! I was at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge one spring and saw the exact behavior that you portray in the last photo. I was amazed to watch the dominant coot literally attempting to drown the underdog (underduck? Guess it’s not a duck!) I hated watching the poor thing get pummeled, but that is the way nature works. It was fascinating to say the least. I told my sister about this experience and she said she had seen a documentary that told how coots will kill most of their young if it appears to be a season where there might not be sufficient food…do you know anything about that?
Peggy, Yeah, I was a little tense myself when I thought this coot was going to be killed by the other one. No, I’d not heard of coots killing their young when there’s insufficient food.
Amazing series Ron. The light catches the water is beautiful.
Thanks, John.
Dominance Rules!! The only way an organism can be assured that the stronger genes go to the next generation!!
Great shots along with the story line!
Kudos!!
“Survival of the fittest” at work, Dick.
Great pictures! A Wildlife Refuge that I often bird at has a large number of Coots, and I’ve been able to see the Coot fights often.
Yep, they’re very pugnacious birds, Sam.
Fantastic series! I’m always amazed by Coots’ and Moorhens’ feet. To see them running on water is really something! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Sharon, those feet are quite unique. And impressive, when you see them up close.
Your quick trigger finger served you well on this series, Ron. Fascinating shots!
Thanks, Dwynn. The flying water helped me to keep focus on the bird, except for when I lost it a little bit in the second image.
What a series! I love the action quality and the story telling of the photos– glad you provided voice-over, because I don’t know a thing (till today) about coots. I’m going to see if I can find a video link to some pretty violent behavior in a hotly-disputed bald eagle male’s nest here locally. May I email it to you if I find it and it’s not copyright somebody else?
Thanks, Chris. I’ve seen that clip of the red-tail that tried to attack the Bald Eagle nest (with chicks) and paid the ultimate price for its poor judgment. Can’t quite figure out why it would make such an attempt.
Here’s a link. It’s an incredible clip! http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/weird/Eagle-Hawk-NJ-Fight-200588651.html
Whoa– One sided fight there. In the article they mention a fawn being brought home to the nest???? I wonder how the chicks survived that tromping in the nest! But it seems they did.
Wow! Especially love the first one – looks like he is walking on water (well, like you said, running on water!) Thanks!
Thank you, Leisa.
What a wonderful series of shots! How interesting to see behavior captured so expertly! Love the shots and the commentary! Thanks for sharing!
Charlottee
Thanks, Charlotte. I think I’ll try to spend a little more time with coots this spring.