[texbirds] have you heard of this behavior?
- From: Ervin Fleming <endersgt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: texbirds texbirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:58:07 -0700 (PDT)
This is a question regarding a specific behavior. It may not be limited to a
specific species. I have just returned from the Grand Tetons where I observed
this strange behavior.
I'm photographing a conjunction of two planets and the moon at about 4:30 -
5:30
AM. In the faint twilight, I hear a hoarse whistling. I can tell that
something
is moving in the air in a fairly tight circle. I couldnt decide if it was a
call or a wing sound. Soon the first was joined by two others. This sound
display went on for about 10-15 minutes. So later that morning I am set up on
a
stool on the bank of the Snake River for imaging. A female Goldeneye shows up
(they use the river for a highway). I noticed it was unsing a very shallow,
rapid wing stroke and it was making the same hoarse sound. It immediately
began
flying in a circle. The circles were about 75 to maybe 100 yards in diameter.
Soon I was inside some of the circles . It was flying over the treetops and out
over the river. Then the routes were in among the trees.I could hear her body
and or wings slapping branches. Flight speed in these circles was around 50
mph. On three occasions, the duck landed in a tree with sufficient
noise/violence that it resembled a crash landing. It would resume flying after
10 or 15 seconds. The remarkable wing stroke was much more shallow than the
normal wing stroke. I had seen flights of these
Goldeneyes flying silently over the river. So I hypothesize that this might be
a
way of calling in other ducks. I thinking of renaming them the NASCAR ducks
since she was flying counter clockwise.
So the big question is........... Have you heard of this behavior?
Tom Fleming
Grand Prairie, TX
Other related posts:
- » [texbirds] have you heard of this behavior? - Ervin Fleming
