Tweeters --

I have a couple observations to share, as well as one question on bird
behavior:

1. A few days ago as I entered the Montlake parking lot at the UW from
the east side I saw a feral rabbit quietly munching the lawn by the golf
driving range. A crow stood a few feet away from the rabbit as I
approached, then walked all the way around the rabbit. The rabbit paid
no attention until the crow ran straight at it, at which point it hopped
to the side and continued munching. The crow repeated the circle and
rush routine one more time. At this point the rabbit had had enough and
slipped under the fence to the golf range; the crow flew to the top of
the fence and sat there staring at the rabbit (once again placidly
munching the lawn) as I drove off. Do you suppose the crow considered
the rabbit a threat? Or perhaps it was used to seeing rabbits as road
kill and couldn't figure out why this one kept moving?

2. In red square at the UW I watched a rock dove land on a stair railing
and ride it to the bottom. At Crystal ski resort I watched a grey jay
land on the chair lift and ride it to the bottom, then repeat the
process. Examples of animals at play? Could this be the same phenomenon
that so many twitchers described where the Ross's gull flew upstream and
rode the current down aways, then repeated?

3. This last one is tough to describe: I've seen birds of several
species (gulls, crows, and a grey heron in Russia) do what looks like a
somersault in mid flight, twisting around and losing altitude
precipitously in a split second before resuming more sedate flying. It's
not something I've ever observed very closely because it happens so fast
and so unexpectedly (it was quite alarming when I saw the heron do it: it
decended from the treetops almost to the river, almost as if it had been
shot out of the sky, before zooming off). Does anyone know what I'm
talking about, or possible explanations, if any, for this behavior?

Thanks!

Katie Sauter
sauter at u.washington.edu