I witnessed some interesting goings-on at Tualatin NWR yesterday, and wasn't
sure what to make of it. It was close-in at the pond right in front of the
observation deck, so I basically had a front-row seat.
There were three Buffleheads: two males and a female. The males were squabbling
pretty intensely in repeated bouts, with short breaks in between. While they
were resting from fighting, one or the other of them would hurriedly chase
after the nearby female, and looked like they were trying to copulate, thought
I can't be sure.
It never lasted long, and the female seemed distinctly disinterested in either
of them. This went on and on for several minutes; it looked like a big
expenditure of energy for all involved. What I wondered was whether she was
truly disinterested, or was she waiting to see which would emerge the ultimate
victor? It seems like if she really wasn't interested in either of them, she
could have just flown off, yet she stayed nearby, but seemed to fight off
whichever suitor approached her. I never did see the end of it; I'd been there
awhile at that point, and had other places to be that day.
Any thoughts on that? I don't even know for sure when they breed, although it
seems like we're getting to that time of year. Whatever was going on, it was
fascinating to watch.
