{"id":45221,"date":"2017-01-20T05:36:35","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T12:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=45221"},"modified":"2017-01-21T09:03:24","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T16:03:24","slug":"common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Goldeneye Pair &#8211; A Vicious Lover&#8217;s Quarrel?"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><em>Like many (though not all) of my readers this is a day of extreme\u00a0sadness and mourning for me and I briefly considered breaking tradition and\u00a0making this post a political one &#8211; partly because I desperately\u00a0need the catharsis that doing so\u00a0might provide. But in the end I decided that such a discussion is inappropriate for Feathered Photography and\u00a0instead chose\u00a0to use this post as a brief escape from my misery and despair. I hope my readers who feel as I do can do the same.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Three days ago there was a brief break in the clouds and gunky air of our inversion so on impulse I walked a section of the Jordan River with my gear on my tripod and looked for birds. I ended up watching and photographing one of the longest and most intense bird fights I&#8217;ve ever witnessed.<\/p>\n<p><em>There are 18 images in this post (all presented in the order they were taken)\u00a0and I didn&#8217;t have time to include image techs for each\u00a0one individually but here&#8217;s a summary:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>1\/1600-1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45222\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,626\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666030&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6464 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45222\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley-768x534.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley-150x104.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6464-ron-dudley-400x278.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This male and female Common Goldeneye were swimming together and diving for food in very close proximity to each other so I assumed they were a mated pair. This species is monogamous and their pair bonds begin to form in December so because of their behavior that seemed to be a reasonable assumption.<\/p>\n<p>But if they were a bonded pair\u00a0they sure had some strange ways of showing it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45223\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,651\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666032&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6476 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45223\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley-768x556.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley-150x109.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6476-ron-dudley-400x289.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It all started when this Mallard landed on the water just out of frame to the right.\u00a0His momentum and inertia\u00a0carried\u00a0him\u00a0directly in front of the lovebirds and created a wake that&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45224\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666032&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6480 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45224\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6480-ron-dudley-400x286.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>quickly engulfed the female&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45225\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666033&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6481 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45225\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6481-ron-dudley-400x286.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>and then washed over the male. That was apparently the stimulus that caused all hell to break loose.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45226\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666033&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6482 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45226\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6482-ron-dudley-400x286.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Instantly (when the wake of the mallard was still\u00a0only inches behind them) the female turned on the unsuspecting\u00a0male&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45227\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,632\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666033&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6485 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45227\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley-768x539.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley-150x105.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley-400x281.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>and attacked.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45228\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666034&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6487 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45228\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6487-ron-dudley-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The male seemed nonplussed about what set her off and moved slightly to our right with a confused look on his face.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45229\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,553\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666034&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6488 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45229\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley-768x472.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley-150x92.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6488-ron-dudley-400x246.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As she continued to jabber-jaw at him in an extremely aggressive\u00a0manner\u00a0the entire scene reminded me of situations many\u00a0humans\u00a0get into\u00a0with their spouses or partners\u00a0where one of them wonders &#8220;Wow, what did I do to deserve that?&#8221;. I well remember\u00a0being in that same situation myself many times in my younger years&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45230\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,582\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666034&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6490 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45230\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6490-ron-dudley-400x259.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Finally the male had enough and went on the offensive. When he rushed her she seemed just a little surprised.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45231\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,597\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666034&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6491 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45231\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6491-ron-dudley-400x265.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This part of the encounter was vicious and incredibly fast. In many of my shots of the action all the viewer can see\u00a0is flying water.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45232\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,674\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666035&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6498 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45232\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6498-ron-dudley-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The male pinned her down underwater but she briefly escaped his wrath&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45233\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,637\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666035&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6500 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45233\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley-768x544.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley-150x106.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6500-ron-dudley-400x283.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>and disappeared beneath the\u00a0water for a moment before beginning to surface again. Here we see the top of her head and her eye just under water to the left. But the male knew exactly where she was and moved in to&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45234\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,592\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666035&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6501 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45234\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley-768x505.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6501-ron-dudley-400x263.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>ambush her as she emerged.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45235\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666035&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6502 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45235\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6502-ron-dudley-400x286.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He bit her head before she had even completely resurfaced.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45236\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666036&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6510 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45236\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6510-ron-dudley-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>She escaped him again but wasn&#8217;t yet ready to concede defeat &#8211; far from it. She circled around (we can see her track in the water just above and slightly behind the two ducks) and then turned to face him aggressively (or defensively?) again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45237\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,542\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666037&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6513 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45237\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley-768x463.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley-150x90.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6513-ron-dudley-400x241.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once again they rushed each other and as they met&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45238\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,563\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666037&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6515 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45238\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6515-ron-dudley-400x250.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>their clash\u00a0reminded me of two bighorn rams colliding during a fight. Once again their skirmish was so intense that in most of my images all I could see was flying water.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45239\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,562\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1484666039&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"common goldeneye 6530 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45239\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6530-ron-dudley-400x250.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But eventually the female turned tail and escaped in defeat.<\/p>\n<p>I wish I knew the back-story here. Were the birds a mated pair? I sure thought they were until the fight broke out and even now I&#8217;m not convinced otherwise. And if they were bonded is this typical behavior for the situation? And what set\u00a0them off in the first place? It seems like the timing of the\u00a0Mallard&#8217;s landing\u00a0had to be\u00a0more than just coincidence but why that would\u00a0cause them to fight\u00a0I can only speculate about.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the cause I sure enjoyed watching and photographing\u00a0the behavior. With birds you just never know what&#8217;s about to transpire&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Ron<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This was one of the longest and most intense bird fights I&#8217;ve ever witnessed.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/common-goldeneye-pair-a-vicious-lovers-quarrel\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[334,376,394],"tags":[3264,2847,91,137,140,188,211,1539,3089,311],"class_list":["post-45221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birds","category-common-goldeneyes","category-fighting-bird-behaviors","tag-bonding","tag-bucephala-clangula","tag-common-goldeneye","tag-female","tag-fighting","tag-jordan-river","tag-male","tag-mated-pair","tag-salt-lake-county","tag-utah-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/common-goldeneye-6485-ron-dudley.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1zzJh-bLn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}