Hi All,
Ever since March 3rd a male bluebird has waged a battle with his image in the
mirrors and windows of our SUV. The first day this started I watched as he
fought first the mirror, then the window. He would flutter against the mirror
for a few seconds, then he would perch on the mirror and reach as far back as
he could and repeatedly bite himself on the back. As he did this he was leaning
backward more and more until sometimes he would be hanging almost upside down
from the mirror. Sometimes he even dropped from the mirror to the ground and
rolled around as if he were locked in combat with another bird. I had never
seen this behavior before. In between "battles" he would fly over to a nearby
female, and they would inspect the nest boxes in our yard.
After the battle went on for awhile I felt sorry enough for the little fellow
that I went out and taped paper over the mirrors and lowered the windows.
As soon as I left, the male came flying in, and when he couldn't find the rival
male he went inside the vehicle and looked around. After a minute or so he came
out and after a couple more trips to the vehicle he must have decided that he
had vanquished the rival male, so he went back to courting the female.
He still continues to come back periodically to repeat the performance, but he
doesn't seem quite so adamant as he was the first day. After a few minutes he
leaves the mirror and goes back to his female.
Since this behavior seemed so unusual I got some of it on video.
Good Birding,
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
Buchanan County
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