Subject: Strange Bird Behavior
Date: Jun 16 18:10:55 2002
From: Dennis K Rockwell - dennis.rockwell at gte.net


Patti and all,

What you saw, I believe, were a couple of Bushtits in the final stage of a
serious territorial dispute. Some years back I witnessed a similar event in
it's entirety involving two Golden-crowned Kinglets. It was an early
morning in April at Ocean City State Park and only moments before I'd found
and identified my first Green Heron as I walked along the paved roadway
leading from the east to the west side of the campgrounds. Suddenly, right
in front of me the two Kinglets flew from the brush on opposite sides of the
roadway and collided about five feet off the ground like a pair of freshly
pitted game cocks. They fell to the roadway thrashing and fighting all the
way, totally oblivious to my presence, in spite of the fact that I
eventually drew very close to them to observe their combat. After 30 or
maybe 40 seconds they ceased to struggle and simply lay still with feet and
bills locked on various parts of the others body. After that another burst
of struggling disengaged them and they fled, each back to his side of the
roadway. A couple of bull elk fighting for a herd of cows doesn't put a
better show.

Dennis Rockwell Kennewick, WA dennis.rockwell at gte.net

A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely
rearranging their prejudices.

William James (1842-1910)

-----Original Message-----
From: Patti Gotz <plsgotz at attbi.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2002 12:46 PM
Subject: Strange Bird Behavior


>As I walked with friends this morning on a heavily used pathway to the main
>Green Lake path, I looked down and saw two bushtits lying on the
>asphalt. Upon closer inspection, they were both breathing but the
>strangest part of this story is that they were attached. They were lying
>in a 6 and 9 position with each having one foot embedded in the head of the
>other. As my friends were making comments about West Nile virus and
>leaving the birds alone, I gently grabbed the head of one bushtit and the
>leg that was grasping it and, after several attempts, either managed to
>untangle the claw, or scare the birds enough that they let go of each
>other. They burst out of my grasp and flew into the bushes next to the
>path. I am puzzled by what I saw. Was it territorial in nature? Were
>they truly stuck to each other and unable to disentangle themselves even
>though there were humans walking by them? Has anyone else witnessed this
>with other birds? I wish I had had a camera with me so I could show you
>how strange they looked. Bushtits with an attitude! It made my day!
>
>Patti Gotz
>Seattle - Roosevelt Neighborhood
>plsgotz at attbi.com
>
>