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1\/1600, f\/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Years ago while I was watching feeding Canvasbacks on Glover Pond a behavior broke out that I didn’t understand at first. The male on the right (his head is muddy from feeding in the shallow water) had been minding his own business alongside his mate when the male on the left swam up to him.<\/p>\n The two males began pushing against each other while they were face to face, reminding me a little of Sumo wrestlers. As they did so they kept spinning around and around in clockwise circles and that behavior continued for what seemed like a long time. Suddenly and without warning a more traditional and rather vicious fight broke out that ended with the interloper being chased off by the male with the muddy head who then returned to his mate.<\/p>\n That circling routine as they pushed against each other on the water while spinning in circles was one of the more bizarre bird behaviors I’ve ever witnessed. I tried to research the behavior on Cornell’s Birds of the World (and elsewhere) but Cornell only described it as “pushing” and left it at that.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sorry, a rushed post this morning. In order to reach my intended shooting destination as soon after dawn as possible I have to be on the road by 4:30 AM. That’s early, even for me.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the more interesting bird behaviors I’ve been witness to.<\/p>\n