Orioles Agonistes

I watched oriole agonistes this morning. A real dustup between two rival males. Well almost a dustup; they weren't quite on the ground but they were swooping around and scrapping at eye level. This was serious business as one bird was persistently calling and chasing his rival who apparently was refusing to vacate the premises. At one point, the two birds confronted each other a few feet apart on a tree branch, both stretched out to full length in what I can only assume is extreme oriole threat postures: face-to-face, bills held high, both bobbing and weaving like windup toys. Eventually one of the birds seemed to be hit by the other (those oriole beaks are sharp) and the appeared to take off, seemingly together with a female. If that was really the case, who was the winner of the battle? One bird apparently got the girl while the other got the territory. 

The bird of the day was a HOODED WARBLER singing away at Maple Swamp. Other warblers seen this morning were Black-and-White and Yellow-rumped (both in East Quogue) as well as Blue-winged, Ovenbird, Pine, Yellow and Common Yellowthroat at Maple Swamp. Also at Maple Swamp: Red-eyed Vireos on territory, the year's first E Wood-Pewee, E Phoebe, Hairy Woodpecker and Fish Crows. As a reminder, I'm doing a Maple Swamp walk on Sunday, meeting at 8 am on Pleasure Drive in Flanders just south of Rt. 24. If you need directions, let me know.

A CORRECTION: In yesterday's account of a visit to Hunters Gardens, I switched the names of two friends. The Carl that accompanied us was Carl Starace not Carl Safina as I absent-mindedly typed. The slight similarity of the two names is no excuse. I'll blame Old-timer's Disease and offer apologies to both Carls.

Eric Salzman