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Re: Diving G-w Teals???
- To: CarolinaBirds <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
- Subject: Re: Diving G-w Teals???
- From: Mike Skakuj <mskakuj@nc.rr.com>
- Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 15:57:30 -0500
- References: <NABBJBEIOEMKNBJDBPIPGEMIGKAA.skytomm@1000plus.com>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
That (diving) is not so rare among dabbling ducks. Many species even "large and
light"
may dive as a part of avoiding predator behavior. Personally I have seen diving
Canada Goose, Mallards, Shellducks, Teals and even Mute Swans! There are a few
shorebirds species which may swim during feeding like Avocets, Spotted
Redshank, Redshank, Greenshank and Common Sandpiper. All can dive being attacked
by aerial predator like Sparrowhawk, Goshawk, large and small Falcons (Saker,
Peregrine, Merlin). Once I saw Common Sandpiper (Old World counterpart of
Spotted Sand) swimming under the water for ca 5 meters! The bird repeated that
diving a few times trying to avoid young Goshawk attacks.
Birds can do very strange things...
By the way, what is here a "sign of spring". In central Europe (Poland) it is
usually Skylark and Lapwing. Don't tell me that is Fishcrow! I would expect some
more... handsome species.
Mike
Tomm Lorenzin wrote:
> At Cowans Ford WR yesterday, a friend and I witnessed something neither of
> us had ever seen before. We were observing a flock varying in size between
> 30 and 40 males & female G-w Teals - dabbling and swimming and being VERY
> vocal. After about an hour or so, we noticed that some were regularly
> disappearing completely under the water with a splash, returning to the
> surface after a period varying between 2 to 8 seconds. "Knowing" <G> that
> G-w Teals were dabblers - NOT divers, we first suspected that another group
> of a different species had flown-in unnoticed by us (we were yakking a lot),
> and was interspersed with the teals. A few moments with the scope proved
> otherwise. These were ALL the same species: TEALS. For the brief time that
> this was going on - about 12-15 minutes out of approx. 3 hours of
> observation, many other birds in the flock were rising up on their legs,
> flapping their wings as if to shake the water out of them. You know...
> standing on the water to get clearance for thorough wing-flapping. You've
> seen them do *this,* right?
>
> Since the diving behavior wasn't consistent, we concluded that the diving we
> were seeing was for bathing purposes - not foraging/feeding.
>
> Has anyone else seen this behavior among teals - or any other "dabblers,"
> for that matter? Have I just missed seeing this in all of my 54 years? Was
> it a dream? <G>
>
> Cheers!
> Tomm "formerly known as Princox" Lorenzin
> Mooresville (Lake Norman), NC
> skytomm(at)1000plus.com or tomlo(at)microsoft.com
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> The song is but half;
> head and heart inform senses--
> fulfill the hearing
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> visit me @ http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/
--
************************************************
Michal Skakuj Ph.D.
4600 University Drive # 1312
Durham, NC 27707
phone, fax: (919) 402 9961