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Morning, Readers!!
This morning has provided really really good observations. However, there is a subtle fly in the ointment:
Felix is becoming more and more comfortable with S.E.’s presence. However, he ‘moseys.’ That is, he drifts behind a tree or a shrub in order that he not be in direct line of sight.
Consequently, S.E. must at times choose between moving, which disturbs Felix, and staying still, which leaves S.E. unable to see Felix’s posture.
Guys, we’ve never had such ‘close readings’ of behaviour, and S.E. is learning by the minute. There are six birds in the clearing: Felicity, Felicity, Eric, Alpha, Omega . . . and Supreme Emu.
We see Felix’s posture and movements as pivotal. The unique behaviour that I saw the other evening, the ‘concerted pair-behaviour,’ continues. It’s very subtle, but it’s very real.
For example, just minutes ago, I saw this: Felicity moved close enough to Eric to spark an rush on his part. Felicity hoisted her skirts and fled . . .
but Felix didn’t. He partially raised his ruff (the bird has great posture!), and stood stock still as Eric and Felicity roared pasted about forty feet away.
Seconds later, Eric was ‘shooshing’ F. and F. into the gums; but F. and F. were ambling, and no more than – gee, guys . . . thirty-something feet ahead of Eric? All five birds were in such a tight knot they might have been a family group.
Here’s the other ‘round’ we observed.
(Hence ‘Ding!’ the other morning. The action happens in ‘rounds,’ readers. The birds interact in some way – whether it’s a mere ‘shoosh’ or outright physical conflict – then they settle again into neutral positions. It is then Felicity (we’ll discuss this below!) who initiates the next round by advancing quietly towards E.P.)
Eric slowly advanced on Felicity and Felix . . . then S.E. lost a chunk of data as they passed behind trees . . . then Eric and the chicks were standing quietly in the gums, with Felix once again close (and closer than Felicity) and facing them. Felicity had already moved back into the house-clearing.
Felix then followed Felicity back into the clearing, and E.P. spent several minutes standing in the gums.
So . . . E.P. advances to combat (and F. and F. are absolutely not, at this stage, returning the favour); but somehow they end up standing out in the gums while F. and F.
It takes eight or ten ‘rounds’ before the general process becomes clear, but the outline is apparent at this point: Felicity is ‘initiating’; Eric advances; Felicity and Eric ‘skid past’ Felix; Felix remains clearly Felicity’s ‘wingperson’ rather than the usual ‘neutral element.’
Wonderful! S.E. is enjoying himself!
‘Kay, otherwise: S.E. has neglected to note an absence of nightime and pre-dawn vocalisations. Some time ago, we had them for days at a time, and S.E. thought that that was early mating-season behaviour. Seems not.
No other birds have been sighted. S.E. wonders if the ruckus here is sufficient to warn off all other players (hence his question about how far calls carry, and whether other birds can tell anything from those calls).
Perhaps ‘second-tier birds’ – we mean no disrespect; we’re just trying to comprehend – hear the calls, and think, ‘Whoa!! Two alphas and a mighty confident young male! Suddenly the grass here tastes better, and here I’ll stay!’
Wa ha ha . . . the Area of Operations now includes the carport. While S.E. was hastily stirring sugar into his coffee, Felicity passed through the yard; E.P. passed through the carport after her(first time ever. Tame!!); Felicity skirted the house; E.P. passed back through the carport.
Oh – the Felicity Thing. No disrespect meant to female humans here. S.E. is thinking out loud as a student of psychology and social paradigms. In our species, it is so that there is a type of female who tends to spark conflict among other males, one of which is invariably hers. We can discuss this further if needs be. S.E.’s point here is this:
Felicity, you recall, got whupped by Eric some months ago – in fact, the day he brought the chicks here.
(S.E. saw the stroke: Felicity, emboldened by months of inexplicable subservience on Greedy’s part, stood her ground against Eric.
SLASH!!
Puff of feathers.
[Not Eric’s!]
All over. Felicity dethroned.
Eric Plus begins to quietly graze -- welcome to Darwin’s world.)
Then . . . Felicity disappears for a period.
Then . . . Felicity returns with a consort in tow.
Then . . . there are some episodes during which F. and F. ‘nibble at the edges.’
Then . . . F. and F. begin a prolonged and determined campaign to gain control of the clearing.
And then S.E. notes, for the first time, this ‘egging on’ behaviour on Felicity’s part. I can’t help but see, gentle readers, that Felicity is, at least somewhat, ‘orchestrating’ the whole thing. She won’t go head to head with Eric – she’ll lose, and they both know it!! But she is playing the two males against each other, or, at least, optimally bringing to bear the strength of Felicity Plus.
It's easy to imagine that a 'mutation' that provided that breeding-pairs co-operated closely in physical conflict would serve very well indeed!
Wa ha ha!! Classical late-night blowsy-female behaviour! Sorry, guys . . . it just came into my head.
[Rosellas on the clothesline!]
S.E.
This morning has provided really really good observations. However, there is a subtle fly in the ointment:
Felix is becoming more and more comfortable with S.E.’s presence. However, he ‘moseys.’ That is, he drifts behind a tree or a shrub in order that he not be in direct line of sight.
Consequently, S.E. must at times choose between moving, which disturbs Felix, and staying still, which leaves S.E. unable to see Felix’s posture.
Guys, we’ve never had such ‘close readings’ of behaviour, and S.E. is learning by the minute. There are six birds in the clearing: Felicity, Felicity, Eric, Alpha, Omega . . . and Supreme Emu.
We see Felix’s posture and movements as pivotal. The unique behaviour that I saw the other evening, the ‘concerted pair-behaviour,’ continues. It’s very subtle, but it’s very real.
For example, just minutes ago, I saw this: Felicity moved close enough to Eric to spark an rush on his part. Felicity hoisted her skirts and fled . . .
but Felix didn’t. He partially raised his ruff (the bird has great posture!), and stood stock still as Eric and Felicity roared pasted about forty feet away.
Seconds later, Eric was ‘shooshing’ F. and F. into the gums; but F. and F. were ambling, and no more than – gee, guys . . . thirty-something feet ahead of Eric? All five birds were in such a tight knot they might have been a family group.
Here’s the other ‘round’ we observed.
(Hence ‘Ding!’ the other morning. The action happens in ‘rounds,’ readers. The birds interact in some way – whether it’s a mere ‘shoosh’ or outright physical conflict – then they settle again into neutral positions. It is then Felicity (we’ll discuss this below!) who initiates the next round by advancing quietly towards E.P.)
Eric slowly advanced on Felicity and Felix . . . then S.E. lost a chunk of data as they passed behind trees . . . then Eric and the chicks were standing quietly in the gums, with Felix once again close (and closer than Felicity) and facing them. Felicity had already moved back into the house-clearing.
Felix then followed Felicity back into the clearing, and E.P. spent several minutes standing in the gums.
So . . . E.P. advances to combat (and F. and F. are absolutely not, at this stage, returning the favour); but somehow they end up standing out in the gums while F. and F.
It takes eight or ten ‘rounds’ before the general process becomes clear, but the outline is apparent at this point: Felicity is ‘initiating’; Eric advances; Felicity and Eric ‘skid past’ Felix; Felix remains clearly Felicity’s ‘wingperson’ rather than the usual ‘neutral element.’
Wonderful! S.E. is enjoying himself!
‘Kay, otherwise: S.E. has neglected to note an absence of nightime and pre-dawn vocalisations. Some time ago, we had them for days at a time, and S.E. thought that that was early mating-season behaviour. Seems not.
No other birds have been sighted. S.E. wonders if the ruckus here is sufficient to warn off all other players (hence his question about how far calls carry, and whether other birds can tell anything from those calls).
Perhaps ‘second-tier birds’ – we mean no disrespect; we’re just trying to comprehend – hear the calls, and think, ‘Whoa!! Two alphas and a mighty confident young male! Suddenly the grass here tastes better, and here I’ll stay!’
Wa ha ha . . . the Area of Operations now includes the carport. While S.E. was hastily stirring sugar into his coffee, Felicity passed through the yard; E.P. passed through the carport after her(first time ever. Tame!!); Felicity skirted the house; E.P. passed back through the carport.
Oh – the Felicity Thing. No disrespect meant to female humans here. S.E. is thinking out loud as a student of psychology and social paradigms. In our species, it is so that there is a type of female who tends to spark conflict among other males, one of which is invariably hers. We can discuss this further if needs be. S.E.’s point here is this:
Felicity, you recall, got whupped by Eric some months ago – in fact, the day he brought the chicks here.
(S.E. saw the stroke: Felicity, emboldened by months of inexplicable subservience on Greedy’s part, stood her ground against Eric.
SLASH!!
Puff of feathers.
[Not Eric’s!]
All over. Felicity dethroned.
Eric Plus begins to quietly graze -- welcome to Darwin’s world.)
Then . . . Felicity disappears for a period.
Then . . . Felicity returns with a consort in tow.
Then . . . there are some episodes during which F. and F. ‘nibble at the edges.’
Then . . . F. and F. begin a prolonged and determined campaign to gain control of the clearing.
And then S.E. notes, for the first time, this ‘egging on’ behaviour on Felicity’s part. I can’t help but see, gentle readers, that Felicity is, at least somewhat, ‘orchestrating’ the whole thing. She won’t go head to head with Eric – she’ll lose, and they both know it!! But she is playing the two males against each other, or, at least, optimally bringing to bear the strength of Felicity Plus.
It's easy to imagine that a 'mutation' that provided that breeding-pairs co-operated closely in physical conflict would serve very well indeed!
Wa ha ha!! Classical late-night blowsy-female behaviour! Sorry, guys . . . it just came into my head.
[Rosellas on the clothesline!]
S.E.
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